The Red Queen
by Dravyn LeCrux
Summary: Ruby's life was going great. But after jealousy rears it's ugly head, she finds herself alone. Betrayed by the other students in her grade, abandoned by her friends, and left to die at their very hands, Ruby must struggle to live and find her vengeance. With darkness growing in her heart, Ruby finds the power to take the shadows she previously fought, and make them her thorns.
1. Pilot- The Broken Rose

_This isn't how it was supposed to be. This is not how things were supposed to end up. I was supposed to be happy, I was supposed to have a good life. I was supposed to hunt down the forces that threatened this world, and aid in keeping my friends, family, and everyone I loved safe. This was not supposed to happen. It just wasn't. So why did it? Where did everything go wrong?_

* * *

Beacon academy, home to some of the worlds most promising new huntrs and huntresses. In all the kingdoms, one would not find a school quite as prestigious as Beacon. The students who came through Beacon were not some run of the mill children who simply fought each other with wooden swords, believing themselves to be all powerful and unbeatable. No, they were well trained warriors who could and did hunt down some of the worlds fiercest and most relentless monsters, the Grimm. No normal person could or even would want to fight such beings; monstrous creatures warped and twisted by the darkness. Were it not for the hunters, the world would have fallen to ruin long ago, humanity's light being extinguished before it ever truly had a chance to shine.

But on the campus of this amazing school, one would not see people who they would consider warriors. Those who walked these halls were little more than teenagers, same worries and all. Despite all being trained in the combat style of some amazing weapons, the use of highly lethal and powerful Dusts, and the precision control of their body's Aura granting them superhuman abilities, they all worried like normal teenagers. Fashion, style, love, and competition were as among the students of Beacon as they were of students from any other school.

Among the newest students was one young Ruby Rose. Granted admittance into the school despite being a couple of years behind, she was at the pinnacle of Beacon's freshmen, and maybe even the entire student body to a degree. She was a little on the short side, most likely due to her young age. She wore a long sleeved black sweater top, with a black combat skirt. Around her waist was a bandolier, with several extra rounds placed along the left hip, and a pouch containing extra magazines strapped to her right. Her face, as anyone would note, was very doll like; her porcelain colored skin was smooth as stilled waters, framed by hair so dark a red that the very roots seemed black. And despite her seemingly dark appearance, her eyes were like the brightest of silver. In these eyes shone a light of youthful innocence and naivety, a firm belief in all of the good in this world.

For her, it was just another day at Beacon. The day had been like any other since she'd arrived a few months ago; she would wake up first among her teammates in their dorm, then acting like an alarm clock would wake the other three, Blake, Weiss, and Yang, up. After she'd confirm everyone was awake, they'd all set about preparing for the day, cleaning up and getting dressed in the appropriate uniforms of the day. To some, it'd be an annoying, tedious type of task. But to Ruby, she loved it. Spending the days with her teammates, her friends and older sister, and being given a responsibility most her age and in her same line of desired profession could only dream of.

After the morning rituals were completed, they had gone off to class. This morning started off with a lecture by Dr. Oobleck regarding the Human-Faunus war. This was a delicate subject, as quite a few of the students in Beacon were of a Faunus heritage. But it is precisely this reason as to why he persistently taught the subject, for he wanted to try and break down these barriers and show the students the wrong doings of the past, hoping they could make the steps towards correcting them. In class today, he was specifically going over the many good traits of a Faunus that contributed greatly to their victories and successes in the war. Ruby attentively was taking notes, as she knew this was one of her weaker subjects. Towards the end of the class, Dr. Oobleck suddenly addressed the class, as though he were about to give a major announcement.

"Attention students, listen up and listen well! Now as you all may know, coming up in the next couple of months is going to be the Children of Artemis tournament. This big event is held once only every year," Sip, "and is a rather nice showcase for your budding talents! Larger than even the Vytal Festival, you will be going up against hunters and huntresses from all over the world!" Sip. "Each vying to test out their strength with others of the same level as them. This year, the freshmen representatives will number only four." Sip. "And I have the names of those participating right here!" Sip.

Hearing this, the students in his class began to murmur among themselves. This tournament had been a rather large topic among the students across the campus lately. Beacon only ever took the best of the best along to showcase their talents in the tournament. The winner could always expect plenty of fame and fortune, accomplishments on par even with those of the resident celebrity herself, Pyrrha. Everyone thought that it would be them chosen, never expecting to fail.

"But, I will not be telling you about the choices. That will happen in a general assembly at 2 o'clock in the afternoon today!" Sip. "Now, back to the lesson."

But nobody could concentrate on the lesson. Doubtlessly the other classes had been informed of the situation, and were also talking among themselves about their plans. Everyone could hardly keep it in. Throughout the class, nobody would pay attention to Ooblecks lecture now, the thought of the results being declared at the assembly later. And like that, the first, second, and third classes of the day had passed, bringing way to lunch.

In a small corner of the school's cafeteria, teams RWBY and JNPR sat together as they always did. Ruby's team, RWBY, generally arrived first and reserved the table for the group. After their arrival, JNPR sat down and began to discuss the upcoming tournament with the rest of RWBY.

"So guys, who do you think the representatives will be?" As always, Jaune kick started the conversation with a simple question.

"Well, it's obvious that I'll be going. I mean, there aren't many people here better than me, especially in control and manipulation of dust."

"Well, well Princess, looks like someone is confident."

"Be quiet you brute! All you can do is punch stuff. That hardly makes you a good contender for entering the tournament yourself."

"Ahh, but you seem to forget Schnee. There's not a single guy in our year who can compare to me in a brawl."

While Ruby's partner, and her sister, Weiss and Yang, argued about who would be a better asset in the CoA, the other six members of RWBY and JNPR had a light discussion about participants.

"I honestly think Pyrrha might end up a contestant. I mean, she does have several accolades under her belt, and her skill is rather well known."

"I think Nora might have a point."

"See? Even Ren agrees!"

What Nora had said was definitely a hot topic among the students of Beacon. Little Miss Sanctum had been an odd on favorite for being made a contestant, much to the point that most students at Beacon saw it as a natural thing. She'd already established her skill and credentials having won multiple tournaments prior to entering Beacon.

"No, no. I'm not entirely sure that will be the case. There are plenty in our year who are strong. It could be any of them."

While the others spoke of the tournament, only Ruby kept her opinions to herself. At only 15 years of age, she was younger than anyone else in the entire school, even those in her own grade, by two years minimum. She'd been promoted ahead due to the ability and courage she'd shown in chasing and fighting off Roman Torchwick, a rather well known and notorious criminal, when he'd tried to rob a dust shop. The events that had led to her coming to Beacon had also become well known, which had led to some mixed feelings among the students when she'd first arrived.

A few had thoughts of admiration, for one so young as Ruby taking the chance to enter Beacon so early. But those were the minority. Most held feelings of jealousy and contempt for the young girl, believing that she'd not earned her way into Beacon as they had, and despising her for the attention she was receiving from it all. But they could not act, nor would they act. Ruby was protected by some rather powerful friends, and a sister who would gladly set the school ablaze to protect her.

Having remained silent the entire time, Ruby gradually faded from the conversation, all but forgotten until the announcement was made.

'Attention students, attention students! All first year students gather in the auditorium at this time please. That is all!'

Well, the moment everyone had been waiting for seemed to have arrive. With the assembly called, all of the students began to file out of the cafeteria, hoping to find a good spot in the front of the assembly. Everyone wanted to stand out, to set themselves apart and above their comrades. Nobody wanted to be in the shadows at a time like this, except maybe Ruby. She hated to stand out, and would prefer to not do so. The deal with Roman already had caused her a great deal of stress, and took a while to get used to the stares she would receive from her classmates.

Thoughts of their young leader absent, Weiss, Blake, and Yang charged from the cafeteria, hoping to find themselves a nice spot like everyone else. Likewise, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren all decided to try and get in a little early, albeit with less... enthusiasm. Left behind were the two leaders, Ruby and Jaune. Aside from Ruby, Jaune was also rather... unenthusiastic about social situations as well.

"Well, we might as well get going. Ruby? Ruby, are you okay?" Looking over at Ruby, Jaune saw she was feeling a bit down. Unlike him, she'd grown up rather away from all the crowds and such that most were used to. Even after attending Signal, she'd always kept to herself. The few friends she'd made were also in the sort of category she was, loners and the like. But unlike her, they could make friends easily, whereas Ruby got shy and uncomfortable in large groups.

"Even if I say no, I don't have any other choice. Huh?"

"It's going to be fine. I'm here with you."

"Thanks Jaune. You're the best friend ever."

Well, having one person who's a good friend nearby would make Ruby feel a little better. Walking with Jaune, the two arrived at what seemed to be the very beginning, as Ozpin was on stage making a general announcement regarding the CoA. After finishing the speech, Ozpin held out a sheet of paper.

"On this lie the names of the four individuals who shall be representing our school this year. These young huntresses and hunters have proven themselves to be strong, wise, and resourceful. Among their peers, they have shown incredible achievement, skill, and endurance. Now, as I call out the names, will the following students please come up on stage?"

In a moment, the crowd was silenced. Some adopted looks of confidence and cockiness, believing their joining the tournament was a surefire thing. Others waited, beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads. Still, everyone waited with baited breath, each barely daring to breath.

"Pyrrha Nikos!" Cheering erupted, as everyone had been expecting this. Outstanding grades, amazing scores in combat, and a flawless record on hunts. She was a surefire, and everyone had known it. "Velvet Scarletina!" Now this came as a surprise to some, who'd yet to see her fight. But her scores in class were near the top, and her control of dust in particular was well known among the student body. Another name was rambled off, some student known for his strength and great combat record. At this point, the silence in the room was unimaginable. Nobody dared to speak, to move, or even breath. Ozpin, still holding that piece of paper, took a sip from the mug in his other hand. "And finally," the students, almost as one, stood up. Everyone was on edge, craving to know who would be the last person to stand on that stage. It had to be me. It had to be me. They were all thinking this.

"Ruby Rose. Please come up to the stage."

"What?"

Ruby could not believe what she'd just heard. Nor, it seemed, could the other six hundred or so hunters in training who were currently in attendance. There had to be some sort of mistake, right?

"Miss Rose, to the stage. Now, please?"

"Ah!"

Being summoned by Ozpin, Ruby walked slowly from her spot in the back. Jaune, hoping to encourage her even a little bit, rested his hand on her shoulder. "You deserve this, Ruby." He said as kindly as he could. Still, nothing could hope to quell the uneasiness in the pits of her tiny stomach. Ruby walked along the aisle, her classmates and all with their eyes on her. She could feel jealousy from all of them, their emotions poorly disguised and their hatred thinly veiled. Nearing the front, she saw her teammates showing her supporting smiles, Yang especially. She had to look forward, but looking forward means we often miss what's going on around us. Including the dark expressions cast over Weiss and Blake's faces.

On the stage, Ozpin addressed the four about the responsibility now given to them. To represent not only Beacon, but themselves and their teams. To prove their strength to everyone, and to showcase the talents of a true hunter or huntress. All the while, almost everyone in the audience, and even a couple of those on stage, were only hearing empty words. To them, an existence like Ruby was an eyesore among them. She did not deserve the praise, nor the kind words from Ozpin. Nor did she deserve to be among them.

Other than people beginning to dislike her more, Ruby survived the assembly rather well. Over the course of the next couple of days, things began to get steadily worse and worse for her though. Simple things at first, namely gum and spitballs flying at her, shoes being ruined, books knocked out of her hands, and people trying to trip her. The bullying had progressively gotten worse and worse as the week progressed, eventually becoming death threats and outright harassment. The situation was getting worse, and Ruby was feeling it. She got sympathy from her friends and teammates, and Yang outright threatened to murder anyone she caught harming her younger sister. Still though, it persisted.

After a couple of weeks, word got around about a large pack of Ursai located a few miles outside of Vale, and Professor Goodwitch decided to have the class gain some first hand knowledge about a hunt. So the class, a combined total of sixty one students, were taken in one of Beacons dropships and brought down to the edge of the city. On the way, Professor Goodwitch briefed all of the students about how the hunt would be performed.

"You will all be put into four person squads. These may or may not consist of your teammates, but we will likely be separating you from your teammates for this assignment. The goal of this exercise is not only to gain some real world experience in hunting, but also to teach you to cooperate with others besides your teammates. The teams will also move in groups consisting of three teams. These groups are expected to work together to achieve the desired results with the minimum amount of damage to all others. Are there any questions? Good. The teams are as follows..."

In the end, Ruby was considered an odd person out. As it were, Goodwitch put Ruby as the fifth member of another little squad, consisting of Cardin Winchester, Pyrrha, and a couple of dust users Ruby didn't recognize. One was rather tall, being around the same height as Cardin, and wore what seemed to be a pristine white lab coat, a belt around his med section carrying several phials of dust. The other was around Ruby's height, and didn't seem to speak much. Her outfit was a plain green combat skirt, a brown pouch hanging off of her side. Her hair was the same color as the pouch, a light leather brown, wrapped in a ponytail much like Weiss'. At the thought of her teammate, Ruby sighed. She didn't like this, having to work with different people. But she sucked it up and looked forward.

Upon arriving at their destination, the dropship landed. Ruby's squad was paired with another two, each having one of her teammates. Joining her from one squad was Blake and Yang, and the other having had Weiss. Ruby was grateful, as it seemed she was surrounded with the people she could feel the most comfortable around. She didn't have much to worry about, nor did she think about worrying. With them around, she could relax more, feel more at ease.

At a call from Goodwitch, the five total groups set off in different directions, hoping to cover as much ground as possible and clear out as much of the Ursai as possible. Ruby's group had traveled a considerable distance, finding no Grimm in the process. After about a couple of hours being spent searching, they decided to take a few minutes to rest. While everyone sat down in a clearing, grabbing out their canteens and water bottles and such, Ruby got herself comfortable in a nice little niche in a tree, resting atop a rather large tree branch. Her little resting spot confirmed, she sipped at her water, taking in everyone else. She was maybe about to nod off for a quick second when she heard some knocking below her. Looking down, it was Yang.

"Hey Ruby. Come on down little sis!"

Delighted at the chance to speak with her older sister, Ruby hopped out from her little spot, landing with a perfect three point figure right next to Yang. Yang, who clapped a little, possibly to mock Ruby or tease her, scooped her little sister up into a tight bear hug, giving her no room to escape.

"Aww, my little sister is growing up so fast! It seems like yesterday we just arrived at Beacon, and now we're performing a rather boring large scale hunt for the first time."

"Yang... I can... barely... breath."

"Hahaha! Sorry about that Ruby. So..."

And the sisters just chatted a bit, both talking seemingly about random things. To Ruby, it was a welcome distraction from what had been going on around her lately. For Yang, it was a terrible distraction that would make her pay dearly. Unbeknownst to Yang, the two dust users on Ruby's team had gotten together long before the teams were formed, and had both come prepared with some special dust. The dust was treated so that anything affected by it, be it via ingestion, inhalation, or what have you would be instantly knocked out, unable to wake up for quite a time. With this specialized dust, the two spiked Yang's water supply, which she had left in the clearing with everyone else's. When Yang had finished with her baby sister, who'd scurried back into her tree like some kind of squirrel as Yang put it, she went back hoping to again drink up nd be ready for the ensuing hunt. Letting her thirst take over, she downed all of what she had in her canteen, thinking she could just grab some more at the nearby stream.

"Hmm? This tastes funn-eeeeee..." Without having realized what had just happened to her, Yang was out like a light. The surrounding ten other persons along on the hunt looked towards her, but none of them twitched a finger to help. Why would they? After all, they'd planned to keep her out of it from the start. She'd be the biggest obstacle to completing their plans after all. Almost at once, the group drew their weapons, and descended upon the young girl as a pack.

At first, Ruby couldn't believe what was happening. One minute, she was sitting up in her tree. The next, large waves of ice had climbed the tree with the speed and fluidity that Ruby had. Her instincts and training kicking in, Ruby reacted faster than any human should be capable off and flew out of the tree, landing on the ground with a dull thud. Successfully reaching the ground, her hand flew to her weapon on her back, the folded up form of a hybrid scythe and anti-material sniper rifle. Hearing some steps around her, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose off of her back, and stood up to face...

"...what?" What stood before her were no Grimm, nor bandits, nor anything else of a dark nature. It was her classmates, her friends. Her... her teammates. What?

"What's going on?"

"Well, you see Ruby," a large freshmen stepped up from the group. Covered by full plate mail, coated in a faint yellow dust that aided in reducing the effect of physical attacks on the wearer, as well as sporting a very pale blond mohawk and goatee. He looked to Ruby like some sort of weird chicken. "We were getting tired of how you kept hogging all of the attention to yourself. You see all of us here? We've done our time, worked long and hard, and basically earned our spots here in Beacon. Meanwhile, you just show up, fight some small time criminal, and get fawned over by the headmaster. You even somehow got into the Children of Artemis, something you should definitely not have even qualified for, with so many more of us around. How'd you do it? Did you seduce Ozpin or something? Who knew he had such disturbing tastes? Hehehah."

"W-what are you talking about? Defeating Roman Torchwick was something I did because he attacked me first! And I didn't even want to be in the tournament!"

"Well, too bad. We're tired of you, so now we're going to get rid of you."

"Wha-?! Weiss?" The Heiress just scowled. "Blake?" The faunus looked as impassive as ever. "Pyrrha?" The amazing showed some tenderness in her eyes, but her killing intent was stronger. With each name she'd called, Ruby began to sob more and more. She couldn't believe this. They hated her? What had she done? She couldn't understand what she had done to deserve this. "What did I do?"

"That's just it Ruby. You've done _nothing_." Emphasizing the last word in her sentence with a scary amount of venom, Weiss spat this at Ruby who visibly cringed. Ruby had thought she was getting along rather well with Weiss lately, Weiss who had even promised to help her by becoming the best teammate possible. Weiss who was now pointing her Myrtenaster at Ruby with the intent to hurt her. "You've done nothing to earn what you have, and we're tired of it. Now we'll show you what hard work and _true_ talent is worth." Saying so, she swung Myrtenaster behind her, bringing her arm up in a graceful arc. From that arc erupted more spikes of ice, which Ruby had no trouble dodging at they made their way towards her. But the ice was just for show, as nine other bodies charged towards and descended on the little Rose.

Reaching her first were the dust users. The female, who Ruby found out was named Kristen, brought out what seemed like a plain white glove. But true to her dust using nature, she grabbed one of the phials from her pouch, stuck it into a little mechanism on the glove, and imbued it with the properties of the dust. This one seemed to be fire, as the glove grew red, and when it passed by Ruby she could feel some heat emanating from them. Reacting instead of thinking, Ruby dodged by a hairs breadth, and fired Crescent Rose. Despite firing from behind her, she used the momentum from the shot to spin her scythe around and slam the blunt end into the girls head, sending her flying. Her aura had saved her from having her head caved in from the scythe, but she was still violently shaken from impact. As such, she slumped against the tree, her body going limp as she blacked out.

With one of her assailants taken down, Ruby afforded herself the chance to feel some hope. Despite this though, the others didn't relent. They knew what Ruby was capable of which that damn scythe of hers, and they would be taking no chances. The other dust user seemed to be a fan of close quarters combat as well, but his medium of choice was a pair of scimitars. Each one glowing a different color, he slashed at Ruby who beautifully parried each strike successfully. Fortunately, Ruby was well versed at fighting opponents with multiple weapons, as she had often sparred with Yang and Blake, both of whom sported dual weapons and the ability to use them.

But Ruby did not only have one opponent at this time. Adding in her own attacks was Pyrrha, whose use of the spear and short sword was rather well known in Beacon. Her weapons she had nearly mastered, and it showed in her performance. Her attacks came swifter than the dust user, and more accurate too. Dodging and deflecting both was a difficult task, and Ruby was wearing herself out by expending so much energy on it. Taking the chance, she compacted Crescent Rose, and in the instant she had before he'd attacked again, Ruby fired twice into the stomach of the boy, sending him flying. Her rifle rounds being of a high caliber, and being imbued with her aura, the impact was not something that someone aside from Jaune could withstand, with the aura he has being the single highest amount among the students at Beacon. Quickly turning on Pyrrha, Ruby had her at her mercy, but hesitated. In that moment, Pyrrha struck out, smacking Ruby aside with her shield.

And into the middle of a few others, including Cardin and a couple of his buddies from his team, CRDL. Before they could strick down on her, Ruby was already out of their path, he semblance leaving behind a cloud of rose petals where she was once. Off to the side, they saw her standing shakily, the effort she was putting forth just handling them, along with the mentally exhausting task of having to fight her friends and classmates, was wearing her down quickly. But she couldn't fall. She didn't know what was happening, but she also knew she couldn't afford to lose. Taking her stance up again, she held out her gun, ad extended it to scythe form. The eight who now had her surrounded were wary of the weapon and all that it could do, but that didn't stop them. They attacked her again, and again, and again. Each time, Ruby would come away with more small cuts upon her person. The Aura being linked to one's mental state, Ruby's was becoming unstable and very weak, due to her confusion and exhaustion. Due to this, her healing factor had been slowing down, becoming weaker and weaker. Her attackers were also suffering their own injuries, each one taking many cuts and bruises away whenever they attacked her. The previous two who'd been sent flying off by Ruby had recovered and joined the fray, but were still suffering minor concussions, with the lad seeming to have a broken rib or two. Still, all of them now knew they had come too far to just let it go. She was on the ropes, and they knew it. They had her, and she could do nothing about it.

For Ruby, the world was starting to get darker and darker. This wasn't right. _This isn't how it was supposed to be. This is not how things were supposed to end up. I was supposed to be happy, I was supposed to have a good life. I was supposed to hunt down the forces that threatened this world, and aid in keeping my friends, family, and everyone I loved safe. This was not supposed to happen. It just wasn't. So why did it? Where did everything go wrong? _

From the group, Blake, Pyrrha, and Weiss surged forth. Due to them having the most experience fighting Ruby, they were the least injured among their fellows. Using their last vestiges of energy, the three attacked Ruby simultaneously. Ruby managed to dodge Blake's slash, parry Pyrrha's thrust, and avoid Weiss' seemingly unending flurry of strikes, and put some more distance between her and them. But because her aura was was faint as it was, she didn't sense what was to come until it was too late. Until the cold steel penetrated her back, exiting right out of the front. Cutting close to the spine, the blade from the young man earlier, the armored lad who'd boldly expressed their plans, had gone right through Ruby's abdomen. Blood vessels severed, intestines cut and torn, and her lifeblood leaving her body. Ruby couldn't even move as the blade slid out. Wordlessly, and expressionlessly, she slid to the ground. One hand on Crescent Rose, and the other holding the small hole in her abdomen, Ruby lie their, motionless, unbreathing.

"Ruby? Hey, Ruby?"

"Sh-she's really...?"

"So we did it?"

"Yeah. We did it. What's done is, is done. We have to take Yang and get far away from here. Nobody can know about this. If anyone asks, you all know the story, right?"

"We were attacked by a large group, consisting of several Ursa Major. We were hard pressed to survive the assault ourselves, Yang having been taken by surprise and being put out early. During the fighting, we lost track of Ruby."

"After the fight was done, we found a trail of blood and some scraps of her clothes in the snow. We followed as far as we could, but the trail ended, and we couldn't find her."

"Exactly. Now, let's clean ourselves up a bit, allow our aura to do it's job, and go back the tragic heroes of this sad tale."

As the group turned their backs on the limp and pitiful little girl, a few of them cast back some sad glances. None of them could believe what they'd just done, the act they'd committed. As future hunters and huntresses, they'd taken an oath to protect humans from the forces of Grimm and all that follow the darkness. But what they'd done, it made them no better than the monsters they tried to fight. But they reasoned it was for the best, that Ruby was only hindering their growth and the growth of other, more valuable hunters. That she was no leader, and that her fortune and good luck should not have let her dream of the things she had dared to dream. Collecting Yang, the ground began their long journey back to Professor Goodwitch to relay what had taken place, or at least their own sick version of it.

In that forest, surrounded by the snow and black ash of the recent clash, lay a single, wilting Rose. Left for dead, she could only barely hang on to consciousness as thoughts of why kept floating around in her head. _Why me? Why me? Why...?_ As the light began to fade from her, she could hear a deep growling coming from her right. Moving her weakening head, she saw a large Beowolf stalking towards her. So, this is how it ends, huh? The Beowolf leaned in, it's snout approaching her face, almost as though checking to see if she was truly dead. After a few sniffs, and confirming she was still alive, the Beowolf grasped Ruby in it's mighty jaws.

* * *

The next day, when the Beacon staff had come to collect Ruby's body, all they'd found was a trail of blood and roses, as the others had described. That day, an inconsolable Yang was made the fourth fighter in the tournament, much to her displeasure. As others still bemoaned their bad luck, about how their hard work had gone to waste, they still rested well knowing that a girl two years their junior would not be representing them. But for one blonde, and her sister's only true friend, the world that day had stopped. Their Rose was cut down too early in life, the light she had brought was gone. And now, darkness would descend on Beacon. No, rather it would be more accurate to say that darkness _will_ descend.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Hiya. Dravyn here. This is a little something I had in my archives, buried under a few other documents I had long forgotten about. It was supposed to be an idea that I'd had for one of my other stories, The Grimm's Rose, but I decided against it due to the blood and such. Also, I hated the idea of doing that to Ruby. But I recently came into some manhwa and manga and such, and remembered this. Coming back to it, I rewrote and revised it, turning it into the story you see here.**

**I had no intentions of putting this up originally, but I guess I did in the end. So, let me know what you think. Comment, criticism, just overall let me know what you thought about it. Have a good night.**


	2. The Broken Rose 2

"And you're absolutely certain there was no chance of recovering Miss Rose at the time?"

"None at all Professor."

"Hmm, I see. It is truly regretful to have lost such a promising young hunter. That is all. The ten of you may leave my office for now. I have to go check up on Miss Xiao Long."

It was probably one of the worst possible days for Ozpin right now. Ruby, the young niece of one of his old friend was just confirmed to be missing in action, and likely dead at this point. The group sent this morning to look for any trace of Ruby had come up short handed. They found a trail of blood which indicated that she had moved, though they'd found no indications that it was of her own power. Instead, nearby, they'd found the tracks of what appeared to be an older Beowolf, which struck them as odd considering that Beowolf had no been seen in those parts for quite a while. Regardless of how though, they could confirm that Ruby Rose was missing, and that in all likely was taken off by a Grimm. Ozpin cursed under his breath, Qrow would surely be a wreck upon hearing that the young girl he'd placed into Ozpin's care was now dead. He didn't want to have to make that call.

As his thoughts focused on Ruby, his legs still took him to see the now broken older sister of Ruby, Yang. As one who was closer to Ruby than any, Ozpin had hopes that she could hold some information nobody else could give him. To him, something felt incredibly off. The only story he hadn't heard yet was from Yang, and the only reason is because he was told not to bother with it. From what the other students who'd been in the group had told him, she'd suffered head injuries early in the brawl, knocking her unconscious. The results of her treatment when she's gotten back to Beacon seemed to confirm what they'd said, as the nurse on duty had diagnosed Yang with a slight concussion and recommended that she be confined to the infirmary for the next day to be safe. With finding out that Ruby was missing, the moment Yang woke up her emotions were in a turmoil. She'd left a few of the nursing staff unconscious trying to run out before the head nurse had managed to subdue her. Well versed in dust control and martially trained like any other huntress, she had no problem restraining Yang, and convincing her to go back and rest properly. Since then, the blonde had been in her bed, impatiently awaiting any news that could let her know about Ruby's condition.

And Ozpin hated it. He hated having to walk in to that room. He hated having to stare Yang in the eye and tell her that they found blood trails where he younger sister was. He hated having to remain impassive while giving this news. He simply hated it all. He wanted to show some form of sympathy for her, even if it would hurt her more as he'd assumed. He wanted her to know that Ruby was precious to him as well, as a ward and as a future huntress. On Qrow's word, Ozpin had trusted Ruby's strength and technique, and entered her into the CoA. To him, Qrow's recommendation was better than any grades or acts the students at Beacon could have shown him. And seeing her growth for himself, and watching her train and learn in his school, Ozpin too felt she could handle it. What had the two of them failed to notice? Just what could both of them have missed that would lead to this?

Reaching the infirmary, Ozpin again put on his mask. The mask he wore before his students, his instructors. The mask that none could read, a poker face so perfect that nary a twitch was ever seen. The face he'd put on so many times before to deliver this news, a face that has never crumbled. And after tapping lightly on the door a few times and entering, the same face that greeted Yang Xiao Long as she jumped up in bed.

"Professor Ozpin! Please tell me, did they find Ruby? Come on, please say they did." No response. "Come on, this isn't funny." Still nothing he could say. "Seriously, quit with the joking." Sobbing could be heard entering the pleas. The stone mask which had never before lost it's edge was beginning to crack. "Ha ha. I get it, see? It was funny." The sobs were coming faster. It was heart wrenching for Ozpin to do this, especially to a friend's family. "Professor Ozpin? Uwaah!" Closing his eyes for a second, all that could be heard were the sounds of one of Beacon's strongest females breaking down, her every fiber emanating a sadness that was nearly tangible. Steeling himself, he again opened his eyes to do what he had come for. Sealing the cracks in his mask, he addressed her.

"Miss Xiao Long, it as as you seem to have surmised. The team we'd sent to search for Miss Rose this morning came back empty handed. They-"

"Get out."

"Miss Xiao Long-"

"Get the fuck out!" As if to emphasize her point, Yang threw a pillow at Ozpin, who promptly knocked it aside with his cane. She was just beginning to try and jump up when Ozpin stopped her.

"Miss Xiao Long, I need to ask you about what happened during that hunt!"

"I don't fucking care! My baby sister is- is... This is BULLSHIT!"

Ozpin decided that nothing he tried would allow him to communicate with the now berserk Yang. He slipped out of the room, leaving before her sobs could completely destroy what remained of his facade. Meanwhile, he had the nurse on duty carefully sedate Yang, so as to prevent her from hurting anyone, herself included. After concluding that business he headed back to his office, his mind occupied by more than any man should have to worry about. As the events went around in his head, Ozpin signaled Glynda Goodwitch, his secretary, to make sure nobody disturbed him for the next two hours. Meanwhile, Ozpin took the chance for a much needed nap. The day's stress was accumulating, and if he didn't he thought something might snap in his head

* * *

_Heee~y!_

_Heya Rubes!_

_Hello there Ruby._

_You're late you dunce!_

_There they were, before the forest of Forever Falls. Ruby and her team, RWBY. It was time to go hunting, her and her friends. Her sister. But it seemed they weren't alone there. There seemed to be a few other teams joining them. She could see her friends from JNPR, the nasty team CRDL, and several others. She retreated to the center of her own team, frightened by so many. Yet comforted by the warmth of so few._

_At once, they all broke through the entrance to the forest, traveling fast and with purpose. But what was their purpose again? Ruby could not remember. But she knew they were there to hunt, and she wanted to prove herself. She had to prove herself. So she did as a leader should, she took charge. Standing at the forefront, she charged ahead, trying to rally her team, energize them. Seeing a clearing ahead, she slowed down and decided to take a quick break. She wanted to check on the others, especially Weiss with her poor stamina. But when she turned, only Yang was there. Where Weiss and Blake were before were... shadows. The shadows wore masks; not like Grimm masks with their red streaks and the cracks and such. These were plain white masks, with upturned crescents for eyes, and down turned crescents kind of resembling smiles where the mouths would be._

_Uhh, guys? What's wrong? Blake? Weiss? Wait, Yang?_

_Scanning the area around her, she found there was no Yang. She was gone, with nary a shadow in her place. Wait, who were these shadows, and why were they here anyways? What was going on?! And why are there so many around her?_

_The closest shadows, the ones who were Blake and Weiss. They pulled something out from their backs. What are they? A glint of silver, and it was obvious. They were daggers. Sharp, deadly, and all aimed... at her? No wait, why is this happening?_

_Before anything could be resolved, she felt the cold kiss of steel, as one of the shadows thrust it's dagger through her stomach. She could feel the blood vessels being severed. She could feel the cold replace the once warm blood that flowed in her veins. But it did not end there. One by one, the shadows came forward and stuck her, drawing more of her blood with each blade. The spilling blood fell to the floor in rivers now, forming pools of blooming red flowers, each as beautiful as they were mortifying._

_Ruby could feel the world slipping away. Darkness taking her, as her once bright light began to fade. Shadows dancing at the edge of her vision, as she could do was resign herself to the cold and dark world that lay beyond the grave._

* * *

"Wha-?"

Waking up was the last thing Ruby expected right now. Looking around, she saw that she was in a cave of sorts. There weren't very many distinguishing marks, as it seemed to be a regular, carved from nature cave in the side of a cliff. Trying to sit up, she could only gasp at the pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she noticed that her body was covered by what appeared to be some moss. Bits of red were seeping through, all stemming from a single point directly below her bosom. Looking down on it reminded her of what had happened, and she could not help but sob at the memory of her friends betrayal.

In the midst of lamenting, another thought lept unbidden to her mind. Why was she still alive? Picking up a bit of the moss, she identified it as a rare sort of moss that only grew in small quantities on the roots of trees surrounding Vale. It was known to have antiseptic properties, as well as aid in cell regeneration. Well, obviously it was the moss that was placed on her wound which helped stem the bleeding a little, allowing her aura to handle the rest of the recovery. But what was important was who had applied the moss? More importantly, who could collect so much of this rare type of moss anyhow?

Looking around, she found not other signs of life. Just as she was contemplating lying back down, she heard a soft and rhythmic thumping, as though something were making it's way towards her. She felt around for something to use as a weapon, her hand eventually coming across familiar feeling. It was Crescent Rose. Her precious scythe was never far away, and it comforted her to know this. Clutching her precious weapon so close to her person, she reverted the blade to it's gun form, and looked towards the opening of the cave. First, she could see nothing. Slowly, but surely, something began to come into view. A pair of red glowing eyes, and then a large, bony forehead. Or rather, a bone plated forehead.

Entering the cave was one of the largest Beowolves she had ever seen. It's height easily exceeded three meters, and she knew that it was hopeless. Even if she could get a shot or two off, in her state the Beowolf would be on her in second, tearing her apart with abandon. Her prized speed reduced to nothing, and in a state where even a simple Beowolf could kill her, Ruby's tears came again, though not quite as strong as before. She had resigned herself to her fate, realizing that nothing she did would help. Lowering Crescent Rose, she waited for the inevitable, as the Grimm made it's way towards her. She closed her eyes as it approached.

But nothing happened. Even after waiting for a minute, she was still alive. Slowly opening her eyes, Ruby saw a scene that would be forever burned into her memory. The Beowolf was not at all intending to harm her as she'd thought. Instead, in it's paws it grasped what seemed to be more moss. And not only that, but it also brought along a fresh kill. Beside the Beowolf was a small pile of freshly killed rabbits. Ruby looked on in disbelief as the Beowolf placed the moss next to her, moving over so that it may rest itself. Entirely unsure of what was happening, Ruby was stunned for a moment as she processed what was going on. The Beowolf wasn't trying to kill her. It was nursing her?

Not entirely certain of it's docility, Ruby still moved slowly towards the rabbits. She was hungry, and very much so. No matter how strong one's aura is, a lack of food and a poor mental state could easily weaken them to being no match for even a normal person, unaided by aura. Reaching the pile of rabbits, she took out Crescent Rose and began to slice apart the rabbits skillfully, preparing a few small rabbit steaks to eat. Removing a couple of the bullets from her bandolier, Ruby uncapped them and spilled out the contents. The black dust falling to the ground, Ruby placed a few small jagged stones in the middle and struck them with her scythe, creating a small fire. Leaving Crescent Rose in it's scythe form, Ruby took a few stones and stacked them up, creating a sort of rest for her scythe. Laying the blade over the fire, Ruby placed a few of the rabbit steaks on her scythe, the scent of cooking meat rewarding her efforts.

As her food began to cook, Ruby took the newly brought moss and decided to replace what was currently being used on her wound. Taking her sleeves, Ruby tore the both of them off. Ripping them into nicely sized pieces of cloth, she took the old moss off of her abdomen. Lifting her shirt up carefully, Ruby looked at the area where the blade had exited. The wound had scabbed nicely by this point, not a trace of infection having set in. She could only assume the same for her back at this point. Carefully reaching around to remove the moss on her back, Ruby gasped as she saw the amount of blood it had soaked up. Small sobs escaped her lips as she thought of what had happened. Silently, she re bound her wounds, carefully, using the cloth pieces from her sleeves to hold the moss in place.

After finishing up, Ruby replaced her shirt, the sleeves now coming just below her shoulders. Her tiny shoulders that now bore such a large burden. She sat in silence for a while as her food cooked, looking at the oddball Beowolf before her. She had been taught from a young age that Grimm could only destroy and kill, and had been raised up hunting them. Her uncle Qrow had taken her on so many hunts that Yang always joked that Ruby was raised by the Grimm and not by humans. In a way, maybe that was true. This creature who she'd always been taught was dangerous was helping her come back to health, protecting her. Meanwhile her friends had only sought her death. This isn't how things were supposed to be. They were supposed to protect her while the Grimm tried to kill her. Right?

"Hey, why did you save me? We're enemies, aren't we? I've killed so many of your kind, and you've no doubt done the same to my kind. So why save me?"

They say that when you stare long into the abyss, the abyss begins to stare back. Staring into the eyes of this Beowolf, Ruby had hoped to find some sort of answer, but it was in vain. Even if it saved her, it was still a creature without a soul, and no matter hard she tried there would never be anything to read in it's eyes. She could only make guesses as to it's motives, and none of them made any sense to her. She figured she may never know.

The smell of cooked rabbit began to get stronger, indicating that the rabbit steaks were just about finished. Using what little of her weak aura she could muster, she protected her hand as best as she could from the heat and grabbed one one of the pieces of meat. Bringing it to her lips, Ruby blew a few times to cool the meat down, and began to bite at it. It was bland. The meat held no taste for her, and she hated it. But still, the fact that she was alive, and that she could even eat. This fact brought tears back to her eyes, and she cried. Over something so simple as being able to eat. Finishing the first, and the second, Ruby could feel her strength begin to return. Finishing the last of the steaks she'd cut up, Ruby felt stronger. Redirecting her aura to her injuries, Ruby felt the wounds beginning to close quicker than before. In about an hour or two, she could probably remove the moss without having to worry much more.

Again exhaustion overtook Ruby. As she lay down, ready to again drift off to the peaceful world of dreams, and the frightening world of nightmares, she felt oddly at ease. The large Beowolf did not bring her discomfort, but rather knowing that something was nearby and watching over her brought her some measure of peace and was grateful for her new furry protector's presence. So clutching Crescent Rose tight to her body, already folded back to gun form, she let herself fall asleep, trusting that she would again see the sunrise.

* * *

At Beacon, a meeting was occurring. It was nothing official, nor could it even be said to be anything wholesome. In a small classroom, gathered together were ten students of Beacon. None of them had anything in common really, except that they were of the freshmen class, and that they currently hid a secret worse than any skeleton buried in any of their closets. Yes, the students present were those that collaborated in the assassination of Ruby Rose. In attendance was a member from team JNPR, a team that had long fostered good relations and had been very friendly with Ruby's team, RWBY. A couple from Cardin Winchester's team of misfits, including Cardin himself, were present. A few others from various teams, all joined by two members of Ruby's own team, Blake and Weiss.

"So, why'd you end up going through all of the trouble of calling us together? I thought we agreed on the story and decided to try and forget that'd even happened."

"Shut it Winchester. You don't have to live with the brute who'd raised such an irresponsible little girl. She's be inconsolable since we came back. I just wanted to confirm that nobody here mentioned a thing."

"We're smarter than you think Weiss. Everyone here is aware that should Yang ever find out what we did, she would likely kill us, even if she ended up killing herself in the process."

"Yeesh. That Long chick is messed up. After all, it's only one stupid little girl, right?"

"Yeah, but she doesn't see it that way."

"She doesn't even realize the favor we've done for her, getting her put into the CoA. Tch, we do all the dirty work and yet none of us are made participants. This is bull."

"Well, it's not like we have to worry about being represented by her younger sister any more. It's better that someone with a little bit of skill and some sex appeal represent us than some lucky little bitch."

"I'd advise you to keep you thought under wraps. Should she ever hear you bad mouth Ruby, Yang would likely kill you on the spot."

"Just let her try."

"Calm down fellas. We all agree that none of us spoke, right? Good. Now we can go our separate ways. Everything will calm down in time, our actions covered by time, and our subterfuge hidden behind the 'truth'."

And out of this classroom filed ten of Beacon's youths, promising hunters who would one day hold the lives of every citizen, be they man, woman, or child, in their hands. Hunters who'd already played the roles they were not meant, acting as gods, deciding the life and death of one of their peers. Their confidence was unmatched, as they thought there was no way they could or would be caught. The only witness is a berserk fool who lost consciousness early in the fight, and their victim... well, the dead tell no tales, correct? Only, who is truly dead here?

* * *

_**Small and Red. Before the Beowolf sleeps a small girl, clad in the garb of those who hunt its kind. To kill her would not be wrong. It is in fact part of it's nature. She is dangerous, and she has claimed the lives of it's kin. So many in fact, as it could smell the blood on her. A blood that made it thirsty, hungry. But the Beowolf also saw something else in the small, shivering creature before it. **_

_**In her heart, there blossomed the same darkness of his own kind. It was faint, but it was there. The creature was nursing the bloom of her own accord, even if she didn't realize it. Her scent was growing closer to it's own. Maybe, just maybe it has found another of his kin. All it could do was wait, wait and see what color this Rose blooms.**_

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Hey, I guess I'm continuing this, huh?**

**I'll be honest, I never expected that what was supposed to be the initial chapter for one of my other stories would turn into a stand alone story of it's own. And I never expected to be capable of doing the things in here that I'm doing. Anyone who knows me or has read my work would know that I practically idolize Ruby. Well, that and I'm very supportive of RubyxJaune, to the point that I despise RubyxWeiss or JaunexPyrrha. But, this story has me leaving my comfort zone somewhat, so who knows what's fair game now?**

**Anyhow, I figured I might as well say this considering some of you noted it. This is definitely not my normal writing style. Usually, I keep things rather light. Gore to a minimum, potential deaths are practically non existent. So bear in mind, this is a kind of experiment of sorts, I suppose.**

**Anyhow, just to explain some things while I can. The story is jumping between a few perspectives, and I'm trying my damndest to make them work. At the end, you notice the bold italics? That would be the perspective of the Beowolf that is helping Ruby. I wanted to try and clarify why it was doing that, but I may not have made it clear enough. So here goes. When she was betrayed, the innocent side of Ruby, the side that dominates her personality and manifests itself as her nature, began to give way to thoughts of why and how she was betrayed. These began to prey upon the weaker parts of her heart, which, let's face it, being as young and naive as she is practically amounts to every part that isn't dedicated to courage. So yeah, it began to corrupt her, changing the light in her heart to a more noticeable darkness, similar to what Grimm all have.**

**Also, as a last thing, I find it kinda funny that a lot of you thought I was killing Ruby. Again, I practically worship her. Me killing her is about as possible as someone managing to kill Alucard before he goes full on vampire and destroys them.**

**Anyhow, comments, concerns, criticisms, and questions. I'll take them all rather gladly. And I guess I'll be seeing you for the next chapter. Ciao.**


	3. Mending Thorns

There is no true rhyme or reason to nature. It does as it pleases. Hunters hunt, the prey are preyed upon, and the bottom feeds on the lowest form of life, the weeds. So why then would the hunter and the hunted end up in the situation being played out right now? In a small clearing in the middle of the dense forests that surround the southern part of Vale, Ruby Rose was currently gathering food with a Beowolf at her heel. A creature known to hunt in packs, to decimate whatever poor prey it has in it's sights, prey often belonging to the human category. And this ferocious hunter was currently working with his natural enemy, the Hunters, Humans whose sole purpose it was to hunt and exterminate the Grimm kind, and protect the citizens of Remnant.

Yet these two seemed to ignore that logic. Next to the absolutely massive hulk of a Beowolf stood the petite Ruby, who in her hands held several fruits and berries picked from nearby fauna. Apples, pears, and some wild strawberries were cradled carefully in her arms. And despite doing no real work, the Beowolf followed along, seemingly watching over and guarding the young girl. It was a scene that any who saw would deny, claiming that logic would not support it and that it'd go against the natural order.

But those would not know what had happened to the young girl. What she had suffered through, what shadows had lurked in and through her heart over the course of the past several days. The life that she had, a life that seemed bright and cheerful, a life that was by all rights almost perfect. But that perfection had been envied, and she'd paid the price for it. An existence favored by the Gods, spat upon and cut down by those who harbored the green devils inside their hearts. Envy. Jealousy. A destiny changed by those whose hearts were led astray by corruption and sin.

But you would not know it simply by looking at her. On her face she wore a mask; a simple smile, one that attempted to hide the breaking heart beneath the surface. So young, and yet she'd already been forced to see the world through the eyes of a weary and hopeless adult. It sucked. But she ignored it, and diligently went along with her task. Today, it was gathering some fresh fruits for her to eat, as she could not always rely on her companion to bring her the sustenance necessary to survive. Nor, with their desire for her demise, could she return to her old life, and the friends that had left her behind.

It was a decision that she had made after careful deliberation and plenty of consideration. Looking back on it, it wasn't too hard of a decision to make really. She now knew how much they seemed to hate her, enough that they would be willing to try and kill her. She knew that no matter how much she desired it now, her perfect life was ruined. Now there would be shadows at every corner aiming for her, people wearing masks trying to confuse her with their lies, and people who would forever look at her and not see who she could be but what they wish she wasn't. The normal knees she had wished for were long since thrown out of the window.

Returning to the cave where she had been staying the past couple of days, Ruby took a look around, surveying the little room once again. It was small, simple, but it could support her. In the cave was a small, natural pool of water that she'd found after a little searching. The water there was crystal clear, so it could be trusted. Or so she hoped. Just for safety though, she'd carved a bucket out of a tree stump she'd 'found' nearby, and taken to boiling some of the water. Things seemed to be going well enough, all things considered. But she still couldn't help but feel some emptiness, a void left in her heart by what had happened. A girl who'd never really been able to make friend, making so many at a new school only to have them all torn out of her heart near instantly. She wasn't sure who among them she could trust. So how was she to be sure they were even her friends? And what about Yang? Why wasn't she there to protect her? Why? Why wasn't she there when Ruby had needed her the most.

As they had for the past few days, tears again came to her eyes. It seemed that Ruby could never drink enough water, as she ended up crying most of it out every day. The tears kept coming, each one taking with it a small piece of her heart, or so it felt. It just hurt her to no end, that all of this would happen out of the blue. But what could she do? Maybe she would live here with the Beowolf, whom she'd taken to calling Dinah. To her it was a pretty name, and the Beowolf didn't seem to mind it. She remembered the name from a fairytale she'd read a long time back. It was a very interesting one, about a girl taken to a magical place, an amazing place. A wondrous place, a place that Ruby herself wished she could live in. Actually, she wished she could live in just about any other world at this point, because this one sucked. The tears still coming, she decided to settle down for a quick nap. Laying her head down on the soft bed of red moss that she'd collected from the nearby trees, Ruby closed her eyes, letting sleeps comforting embrace again take her to a world where her suffering would at least be put on hold.

* * *

_**The small red creature still confused it. No matter what she did, it could not understand the why behind her actions, or the what that kept her going. But inside of her, it could see the seed planted so much earlier. The darkness borne in the heart of a human was truly an amazing thing. It was not the usual darkness one would hold, a darkness that most Grimm would recognize and appreciate. No, it was something far deeper, more primal. It was a shadowy abyss that growing where the girl's heart once was, a darkness that excited it. Each drop shed from her eyes simply acted as nourishment for the budding darkness. With each one, it could tell that she was slowly shedding what remained of her heart.**_

_**The human heart, so strong, and yet so fragile. A weapon that it's kin could only watch in fear. A weapon that could be either their death, or their joy, but a weapon none the less. When broken, it would almost always lead to one of it's enemies being erased from the ever present field of battle. But no, the red girl's heart was not growing faint, as all the others do. Rathe,r it seemed to be growing stronger every day, removing bit by the bit the weakness that had once held her back. The light that once shone in her eyes was giving way to the Red Wraith, which in all of it's ire cut down all in it's path. It had made the right decision allowing her to live. It would use her, or she would use it. Either way, the time would come soon. Very, very soon. And it would see it through with the girl, no matter what. It's queen. It's Red Queen. **_**Their**_** Red Queen.**_

* * *

Nearly a week had passed since the tragic fate that had befallen Ruby, and Ozpin was definitely worse for wear. The girl who he had thought of so highly, the beloved niece of his friend, cut down in her prime. He'd been going through the reports and the testimonies, trying to find something, anything, to give him some closure. He had read every word so often and so thoroughly that he could have recited each by heart. His every waking moment spent pouring over the papers, and his every night spent trying to sort it out in his head. Everything made sense, and yet nothing made sense. A young girl, at the crux of her dreams, able to rise to the pinnacle of the young Hunters world. A girl who had every skill necessary to be a great huntress, every bit of the heart required to lead the fight against the creatures of Grimm.

When Ozpin had given his old friend a call to inform him, he had assured himself privacy. Because had anyone been present, they would have seen that the mask Ozpin always put on, the mask hiding his deepest thoughts, that unbroken pokerface of his would have crumbled. All he could hear when he delivered the news were some muffled sobs, the breaking of an old heart. Trying his hardest, Ozpin could barely prevent himself from crying as well. Hanging up was the hardest part, as he'd desperately wanted to comfort his old friend, but he knew that there was nothing he could say. She was his ward, and he'd failed in his duty to protect her.

The days were passing by slowly, and all Ozpin could do to keep his sanity was to keep checking up on Ruby's sister. Yang was faring worse than anyone would have imagined. Her grades were hit rather hard by the incident, and her performance suffered. Every teacher knew the kind of special relationship Yang had with Ruby, a relationship akin to each being the other's anchor to the world. Yang kept Ruby anchored to the real world, and not to weapons or her music. And Ruby kept Yang anchored to her sanity. Yang had always had anger management issues, and Ruby was the only thing holding those back most of the time. Nobody could remain angry when such an adorable girl was trying to scold you, cheeks puffed up, a scowl decorating her face. To Yang, she was an irreplaceable sister. Ozpin wished he could support her more.

As Ozpin was wandering the halls one day, he happened to bump into Yang by chance. She was a wreck. Her once bright eyes had clouded over in her depression, bags forming under in abundance. Her usually lustrous hair had begun to dull. her ususal energy replaced by a disturbing lethargy. It was a sight that could make even the heartiest man, woman, or child depressed. And it broke Ozpin's heart.

"Miss Xiao Long, may I speak with you?"

"Sorry Professor, but I have to get going to class." Said with a dull monotone, no trace of her once boisterous personality present. It was, Ozpin noted, as though speaking to a robot, or a doll. She had put herself on autopilot, hoping to ignore the world or at least escape it.

"I'll excuse you from your classes for later. But please, I would like speak with you."

"..."

A few minutes later, Ozpin had Yang in his office. After sitting her down, and offering her some Coffee, he got down to what he'd really wanted to say.

"Miss Xiao Long- no, Yang. Please listen to me." No response. "I can say nothing to try and console you, no matter how much I wish to. What happened to your sister was a tragedy, something I would never have expected in my wildest nightmares. It is no fault but my own for assigning that hunt to your class at the time. For that, I can only apologize." Saying so, Ozpin got out of his seat, and as low as he could brought himself into a deep bow before Yang. He knew that he deserved no humility or pride at this time, because to him it was truly his fault.

A moment of silence, and Ozpin heard nothing. But looking up, he saw Yang jumping out of her seat, her target the weary old Hunter before her. Grabbing him by the collar, Yang took Ozpin down to the floor with him. Mounting his chest, one hand on his collar, and the other raised above her head, she looked down on the headmaster with a look between pure, unbridled fury and a heart wrenching sadness.

"You- you! How dare you say those things!? A tragedy? You apologize? How the hell will that help Ruby, HUH?! She was my baby sister. She was more important than anyone else on that hunt! Your fault? Don't you dare claim such bullshit! I was there, and I couldn't even do a thing to help her. I- I... UWAAHHHH!" Falling off of Ozpin, Yang fell to her knees, despair again taking her over. Every last ounce of sorrow in her heart was being bled out, the pain and suffering that she had experienced coming down in rivers. Her great strength gone, replaced by the tears of a teenage girl. Ozpin, no regards to his own status, got down onto one knee, and put his arm around Yang. He could only do this to comfort her, to let her know someone was there for her.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

Ruby again felt the warmth of living, and opened her eyes to the familiar cave. Dinah was seated where she usually was. Yeah, Ruby had taken to calling Dinah a she. Well, as Dinah seemed to be alseep, Ruby decided to venture from the cave, stretch out her legs a little bit. Getting out, the sunlight felt nice and warm on her face. Traveling quite a distance, Ruby enjoyed the sunlight on her bare skin, soaking up the heat of the suns rays. On her back, Crescent Rose rested where she should. Behind her in the wind, her cape billowed. Thankfully undamaged in the assault, as Ruby had put a considerable amount of aura into it to protect her from damage from the back and flanks. The protection also extended to the garment itself, much to her relief.

After a while, Ruby'd decided that she had had enough. Heading back, she had gone only a few steps before something began to feel off to her. The wildlife's presence which had been abundant before had almost completely ceased activity. The air had begun to grow heavy. Reaching around to her weapon, Ruby adopted her usual combat pose. And not a second too soon it seemed, as out of the bushes came charging a pair of Ursa Major. Both Easily over two meters in height, and weighing as much as a large truck. Their protective bony plates covered so much of their bodies, and protected by those infernal spikes that protruded. Fighting them would be difficult, if not outright impossible. She still hadn't recovered quite enough to fully utilize her semblance, and her aura was at a lower output than usual due to her being on the last step of the healing process. No matter how one looked at it, it was an unfavorable situation for her. But this was the type of situation that Grimm loved.

Carefully and with coordination, the two Ursai encircled Ruby, hoping to find any opening to take advantage of. They were experienced in this field it seemed, but so was Ruby. Despite her huge disadvantage, she gave them no purchase. The Ursai tried to wait her out, both believing they held the advantage. And in this case, they were right. No friends would come to save Ruby, no knight in shining armor would have her back. It was her judgment time now, do or die. And for Ruby, death did not seem like a very pretty option. So, she put Crescent Rose to her back, getting ready to dash through the distance that separated her from the closest Ursa. As she prepared to launch herself, a thought struck her. Dinah would likely come to hate her for this, wouldn't she? Slightly saddened, Ruby realized it was inevitable that the two would separate, their natures being too antagonistic of each other to have worked out so well together.

Steeling her resolve to move on, Ruby fired. The distance between her and the first Ursa had disappeared in the fraction of a second, and her scythe swung in the next. But the Ursa had not survived as long as it had with the survival skills of an amateur. Holding up it's large, bone plated paw, the creature block Ruby's scythe. With a large heave, it sent the small scythe user flying in the opposite direction. Using the blade of her scythe, Ruby stopped her momentum, only to turn and face the now charging Ursa that had gotten behind her. Quickly jumping onto her weapon, and using the barrel/handle of the scythe as a platform, she spun herself around, barely avoiding the large paw that had been swung at her. As she came back around, her legs facing the barrels end, she gripped the trigger with her left hand and squeezed. Using the momentum from the shot, she flipped back several times, the thudding from her landing augmented with the cries of the Ursa. It seemed she'd managed to get a hit in. This would greatly improve her chances.

Now, the Ursa both in front of her, Ruby didn't have to watch her back. This allowed her a little more leeway while surveying the battlefield in front of her. One of the Ursa, the one she seemed to have hit with the round from earlier, had a wounded leg. Falling down again to all fours, the Ursa seem to be favoring it's right side. Meanwhile, the other seemed to be taking it's comrades injury, and using it to psyche itself out, as the two were now roaring in unison. A deafening sound that could no doubt be heard for quite some distance around. It would quickly turn in their favor were another Grimm to hear the call and join in the fight. She had to end this fast.

But it was not to be. Again, leaning forward and preparing for another charge, Ruby felt a sting in her abdomen. Her wound, her stigma of being betrayed, was again acting up.

"Not now. Please... no."

But she could not muster her strength in time, as the Ursa who still boasted full mobility charged her again.

"So, this is how it ends, huh? Ah, damn it. Damn it all..."

Ten meters. Eight. Five. It was closing the distance rather quickly in relation to it's body size, and Ruby could barely muster the strength to dodge. Reverting Crescent Rose to it's gun form, she prepared for her final stand, when a loud growl from her left caught her attention for a brief second. Before she knew it, the Ursa was upon her. And then, a large black mass had come crashing through, sending the Ursa flying. Now, standing in front of Ruby was one of the largest Beowolves she'd ever seen. Easily three meters and some change in height, the Grimm stood with it's back to her, facing the advancing Ursa with a challenge in it's growl. It was...

"Dinah."

As if to confirm her assumption, the Beowolf in front of her let out a small growl. Dinah was... she was protecting her? This was beyond anything Ruby could ever expect. A Grimm was fighting it's own kind in defense of her, a human? As if to show they were on the same wavelength, the Ursa also seemed to stop in their tracks. They seemed to be taking in the scene before them, unable to understand the situation. But the confusion seemed to only last a second, as they decided they didn't care. To them, a meal and a human was before their eyes. They wouldn't let something like a misguided Beowolf stop them. Their prize before their very eyes, they again moved as a pair to attack. The first Ursa to reach Dinah was the uninjured one, apparently having some sort of grudge against her for the previous interception. But the Ursa could not match her speed, as Dinah had easily twisted around the Ursa, getting behind the great creature. Thinking to use the bony plates and spikes on it's back as weapons, the Ursa tried to backstep as quick as it could, but it made the fatal error of underestimating Dinah's speed. In a second, the Beowolf had moved around to the Ursa's front, and sunk her massive claw into it's chest. A cry of pain and suffering could be heard from the Ursa, but it could do nothing in retaliation. Dinah was bigger, stronger, and faster. Forcing the Ursa back, she lunged, sinking her teeth into it's neck, between the plates that protected the rest of it's body. The cries coming from the Ursa were beginning to weaken, being replaced with a strangled garbling. Eventually, silence.

The other Ursa, perhaps having wizened up at seeing it's partner completely decimated, thought better about the direct attack. With it's lame leg, however, it would hold no chance of escaping this fresh, powerful Beowolf. It figured it;s only chance would be to try and take the new threat down, and so went in slowly. But Dinah would have none of it. The moment the Ursa had gotten into her range, she leapt with a speed that the Ursa could not trace, and sunk her claws into the areas around the Ursa's forearms. With a great heave, she drew her claws down, completely disarming the once great Ursa Major. With one of it's only two remaining legs being lame as it was, and having nothing but stumps where it's forelegs once were, the Ursa collapsed to the ground. No resistance could be put up now, and every one of the present party were aware of it. With a quick slash, Dinah completely severed the Ursa's head, sending it crashing into a nearby tree.

Finishing with her kills, Dinah turned to face Ruby. Ruby, who had been watching in awe the entire time, trembled a little at the thought of the Grimm she was living with being so powerful and deadly. But still she did not shy away even when Dinah stepped so close to her. Instead, Ruby cradled the Beowolf's head, again finding the sort of comfort she desperately needed from this beast.

"Thank you, Dinah. You saved me."

Giving her thanks, Ruby got herself up, moving over to the now dead Ursai. She couldn't say she felt bad for them, but it was kind of brutal what Dinah had done. Still, it granted Ruby a very important resource, one she had been thinking she needed quite a bit lately. Extending Crescent Rose to the blade form, she began to strip the Ursai of their hides, as well as the heavy plates that adorned their bodies. The plates with their strength, were actually very light. It was a paradox to Ruby, but she none the less was thankful. Taking all that she could carry at the time, she returned with Dinah to the cave. A half dozen more times, she returned to the clearing, stripping the corpses of all but the meat, taking what she could use to make what she would need to survive. Tools, clothes, anything and everything that could be made from the bodies of slain Grimm. A useful trick she'd learned long ago.

Back in the cave, Ruby had begun to prepare the hide and turn it into leather. She'd brought back with her some rather large leaves, which she had stripped of their strong fibers. Braiding the fibers once, twice, three times, she made herself a strong thread she could use for later use. Still think enough to be used for what she needed, and yet strong enough to handle the wear she would put it through. Taking one of the smaller spikes from the back plates of the Ursa, she began to whittle them down into the form of needles.a Task that took her the better part of an hour, but her well practiced hands performing the delicate task in the end. With all that she needed ready, Ruby began to prepare the tools she would need to survive this hell she had been sentenced to.

And maybe even bring this hell crashing down on those who truly deserved it.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**What can I really say? I had free time, some energy drinks (which I swear have no freaking effect on me any more, which sucks), and a few slices of cold pizza. So what was I to do? How about putting out another chapter of this story, which you all seem to be liking?**

**So yeah, progress is being made slowly. If you haven't figured it out by now, Ruby's made herself quite a few of the necessities by now, but she still needed clothes. I used this as an opportunity to slightly alter her wardrobe, as well as give Dinah a chance to shine. Also, bonus points to ANYONE who can guess the connection between the name 'Dinah', and my choice of a story title. Come on people, don't disappoint. **

**Anyhow, that's about all for now. Any questions you guys may have regarding the story so far, anything that I didn't make clear enough, let me know in the comments. I'll gladly clarify it in the next Author's note if I can. Also, you know the usual. Give me any comments, criticisms, or suggestions you have. I always appreciate it when I hear from you guys, and my writing has only improved because you guys can point out things I have missed before. So yeah, comments, criticisms, concerns, and questions. I'm open to all. Leave some love, and have a good night. Ciao.**


	4. Mending Thorns 2

"Professor, can I speak with you?"

This is how Ozpin's day started out. Unexpectedly, Yang had sought him out to speak with him. What for, he could not guess, but he wanted to find out. He'd been wishing to talk to her about the day that Ruby, well, bit the dust so to speak. The story was flawlessly proven by the evidence found at the scene, but some stuff still bugged Ozpin. First and foremost, the team sent out to retrieve Ruby's remains came back empty handed. They followed a trail of blood and Beowolf prints, which should have ended with something. But in the end, nothing was found. Not even a scrap of her cape, or her weapon. No indication that she was ever there, sans the pool of blood, and the trail of red following the Grimm's footprints.

"Of course, Miss Xiao Long. Please, come in. Take a seat."

Doing as told, Yang grabbed the nearest chair, and flopped down in it. Ozpin did not know why Yang had decided to talk to him today. A week ago, she was outright threatening to kill him. But he figured that while he had the chance, he would ask her any questions he could. Or rather, instead of just asking, it seemed that he would simply have as many questions as possible answered. His own, and hers.

"Professor Ozpin, can we not shoot the shit please? Pardon my language, but I came to you because I don't think everything is as it appears."

"Oh?" Raising an eyebrow at her crude display, Ozpin could not deny that what Yang had told him had piqued his interest. He'd been having parallel thoughts to hers, that nothing in this case was right. But for her to come to him, for her to be on the same wavelength in this situation. Ozpin began to count his blessings. "I'll overlook the language, Miss Xiao Long. But in return, may you please explain what you mean?"

"..." Yang looked hesitant. She didn't seem to know how to proceed, or rather even how to begin with vocalizing her thoughts. With a slight sigh, she tried to begin. "First of all, Ruby would not have lost."

"Hmm?"

"The opponents we were expected to encounter were simply Ursai. If it comes to hunting Grimm, especially ones as easy as Ursai," this phrase which made Ozpin raise an eyebrow, as if you ask 'What exactly do you consider difficult?', but he bit his tongue and allowed Yang to continue. "Then there's no way Ruby would lose. Since she was young, our Uncle Qrow has been taking her on hunts, showing her the ins and outs of combat. My sister was raised practically on the battlefield, so to speak. One of the many reasons she lacks social skills is because her only interactions when she was younger involved her and her weapon interacting with the neck of some poor Grimm. To put it simply, I doubt there's a single person in the entire freshman year- no, make that the _entire school_, who has as much field experience as Ruby. I don't believe she would have lost to such easy opponents."

"Hmm." What Yang just said struck Ozpin as odd. When he had been informing his old friend, Qrow had said something roughly similar to what Yang had just told him. Ruby was practically raised killing Grimm. With that kind of experience, losing to a few Ursai would require that she willingly allow herself to be killed. "I believe you're right Miss Xiao Long. From what I have seen of your sister's combat skill, for some simple Ursa or another to have killed her seems highly unlikely. Even the reports of the large Beowolf tracks found near where her body was presumed to be leave me doubtful that she still would have lost. Her speed could likely outmatch any creature on this planet."

"Exactly."

"So Miss Xiao Long, what exactly are you getting at?" Ozpin merely asked for the sake of asking. He already knew what she was insinuating, and he himself had similar thoughts for a while. But he needed to hear her say it, to vindicate his thoughts. To allow himself some breathing room, to not feel so crazy at the possibility.

"I think someone set Ruby up."

"Do you have any idea of who it might have been?" This is what Ozpin had waited for. Someone he could talk to, a gopher of sorts. The only person with any possibility of being able to paint the portrait of Ruby's last moments, the only person who would likely tear hell apart in a frenzy of fists and brimstone, this person was sitting before him. The person he could rely on to help him truly piece together what had happened, to help him set the puzzle pieces right, to allow all of this to make sense. "Who might want to harm your sister?"

"Professor Ozpin, has my sister ever come to you for anything? Tried to talk to you about any problems she's had?" Shaking his head in response, Yang let out a kind of sigh and groan at the same time. "I figured as much. You see Professor, was getting bullied a lot. I could never find out why, but some people were mean to her, some pretty much acting a bit like douches. And some were outright malevolent towards her. They ranged from petty, to persecution. She held it back most days, but I could sometimes hear her crying when she was trying to sleep." Yang watched as this sunk into Ozpin. Hearing about these atrocities being performed to this one innocent girl, Ozpin could only feel shock. And then guilt. He'd brought her here, only to be ignorant to her troubles. He'd thought that what he'd given her was an opportunity. He instead only led to her death.

"Yet another mistake I've made, it seems. I wish that she'd brought this up to me sooner, Miss Xiao Long."

"I was doing all I could to protect Ruby from them the entire time. I was getting ready to start sending those fiends to the hospital, consequences be damned!"

"Miss Xiao Long, can you give me the names of those you know for sure were bullying Miss Rose?"

"With pleasure."

* * *

"Don't worry Dinah. The rain should stop soon. Just rest until then."

Looking out into the bleak, rainy day, Ruby peacefully sat in her cave, Dinah at her side. After a few weeks of recovering, her physical health had gotten back to it's previous state. Her wounds healed, the pain subsiding into nothing more than a distant echo, etched into her memories by the scars left on her body and her heart. But she didn't care about those that abandoned her now. They weren't worth her tears, as she apparently wasn't worth theirs.

A little epiphany that Ruby'd had when she had finished making herself her new clothes. Using the small pool in the cave to check her reflection, and the fit of the clothes, a thought flitted across her mind as she evaluated her own appearance. Her black top repaired with pieces of Ursa leather, fully covered her now. For her arms, in place of the sleeves she once wore, she'd crafted some black Ursa leather bracers. A glove type piece of armor, extending from the first knuckle of each finger to just below her elbows. Her previous combat skirt had been mostly trashed, so salvaging which bits she could, she'd remade it. The remade skirt was slightly longer, extending to below her knees. Underneath the new skirt could be seen the inner red fabric from her old skirt, it having been the only pieces of her old outfit to be mostly undamaged from the weather and harsh conditions she'd faced. And as her old boots had been ruined, she'd fashioned from the plates of some of the slain Ursa a pair of short heeled soles, raising her height by about an inch. Using some tree resin and some of the Ursa leather, Ruby'd fashioned the soles into boots that came up to the halfway point of her calf. And to finish it off, she'd fashioned herself a pair of light leather trousers, in place of the stockings she once wore. And on her back, mostly undamaged, she still wore her favorite red hooded cape.

Looking through her makeshift looking glass, Ruby appreciated her new look. It reminded her of the royalty from the stories Yang would often read for her before bed time. The princesses who always got to await their knight in shining armor from some cozy castle or tucked away in some secret tower. How romantic. But that was not to be her fate. No knight would be coming to her rescue. She was not in some fantasy castle, protected by a dragon or some epic curse. She was not waiting in some tower, a prince traversing hell to get to her side. No, she was the princess of cinders, left alone to suffer from the burning jealousy of others.

But why should she suffer? What had she done wrong? She'd only done all that was ever expected of her. She studied hard as was expected, got the grades that made everyone proud of her. She'd trained and trained, often to the point of wanting to vomit her cookies on a daily basis. She became stronger than almost anyone, and she'd even been rewarded for it. Her early admittance to Beacon, proof that everything she'd done had not been pointless. That everything she'd done so far had amounted to something, that she had amounted to something. But not everyone thought so. Or maybe they never have. After all, she'd always done well. She trained harder than anyone, practiced more than anyone, studied more than anyone, and brought herself to a level above almost anyone else. So why should she let them subject her to their rules and whims? Who are they to have tried killing her?

"Dinah." Having given an indication that she had heard, Ruby proceeded. "I think tomorrow we're going on a little trip." Dinah just looked at Ruby, unsure of what she was talking about. If Dinah could tell anything about her, it was that bit by bit, the once bright flower that had bloomed in the young girl's heart had become tainted. The rose wilted, becoming a midnight that was darker than black. Dinah recognized Ruby as part of her family, and Ruby the same. Though slowly, surely, Ruby and Dinah were starting to have one other relationship, one that would soon create a huge impact on Vale.

* * *

"I still can't believe Ruby is gone. She was my best friend."

"Let it go Jaune. Remembering her will only make you feel worse."

In the middle of lunch, team JNPR sat removed from most of the rest of the cafeteria. Their usual eating partners, team RWBY, had all but evaporated after the incident involving Ruby. Despite her shy nature and lack of social graces, her friendship with Jaune had been the sort of glue that held the two groups together. After her disappearance, Yang stopped coming to meals. Then Blake, and Weiss. It seemed that Ruby's death had affected everyone a lot. And in JNPR, two of Ruby's friends ere still lamenting her loss. The Cheshire smiler, Nora, whom Ruby had bonded rather well with. The two would obsess over some of the weirdest things sometimes, mostly sweets though. But none the less, they were great friends, and Nora was one of the few Ruby had truly opened her heart to at Beacon. And Jaune Arc, Ruby's best friend. The first friend she'd made at Beacon, Jaune held a special place in Ruby's heart, and she in his. To Ruby, Jaune was a friend who she could confide in, and trust. She could feel comfortable around him most times. For Jaune, Ruby was the type of hunter he could idolize. She embodied everything he thought a hunter should be; strong, brave, and sharp. It would be a lie to say he didn't hold some sort of feelings for her, though he often tried to reason that it was the feeling of having a younger sister sometimes.

Even weeks later, these two were still depressed about Ruby's death. Ren had been spending a lot of his free time to try and fill the void left by Ruby. He'd been hanging out with Nora more and more, a feat that most would consider somewhat suicidal in cases. But he did it, if only to lessen her depression even a little. He ate every ounce of sugar that she did, kept up with her every activity, and tried what he could to bring the sparkle back to her eyes. And he'd succeeded, for the most part. She was still down occasionally, but she was more or less recovered. But for Jaune, he was not so lucky. No matter what Ren, Pyrrha, or anyone had tried, he still felt sluggish and depressed most of the time. To him, Ruby was an absolute existence. She was the strongest he knew, the fastest, the best. For her to lose, didn't that mean that he had no hope? And the more these thoughts took a hold of him, the more and more Jaune's depression worsened.

"She's gone, and he still can't see me? What the hell?" Pyrrha said, to nobody in particular. Lying awake in her bed, she'd been thinking about everything lately. In all honesty, she felt extremely guilty regarding the incident with Ruby, genuinely feeling that she'd gone too far. But to her, it was also a necessary evil. She [Pyrrha] was the strongest around, the best, the most skillful. She'd won her fame, earned it. Her skill was well renowned, her beauty rather striking, and her overall lot in life was near the apex of her fellows. So why did the simple blonde buffoon that she'd fallen for still see that little girl? That little girl who'd had nowhere near her fame, her skill, her beauty? The little girl who'd been chosen to stand at the same pinnacle that she'd been chosen for, with nothing more to show for it than a big gun and some speed. The green eyed Amazon was unknowingly turning into quite the green eyed monster herself. But she rationalized it, or tried to. Convincing herself it was Ruby's fault for not being as good as she was. But if she was so good, then why does he still miss Ruby, and not see her?

Cursing to herself, Pyrrha had finally decided she would act. She would take what she wanted. Grabbing out her scroll, she tapped on her Teammate Tracker app., opening up the interface. Selecting Jaune from the list, she located him. Alone, on the roof. Good. Getting out of her bed, and slipping into her usual combat attire, she hurriedly made her way to the roof. Opening the door leading to the rooftop where she'd first promised to train him, she saw Jaune staring at the sky with the same glassy eyes he had been for the past week.

"You know, you could still be a farmer." She opened with a lame line, trying to get Jaune's attention with some piece of their brief past. She hoped to break that shell of depression.

"Oh, hi Pyrrha." But Jaune remained unaffected. He looked at her with the same, soulless stare as he had the stars, and then turned back to the shining gems in the sky. "You know Pyrrha, sometimes me and Ruby would talk about the stars. She liked them, you know?" Jaune began to talk about Ruby, Ruby, Ruby! All Pyrrha could hear from him was 'Blah blah blah Ruby, blah blah.' It infuriated her, to still be below her even when she was dead. "She always liked to compare the stars to gems in the sky. I found that funny, because sometimes we'd spot a red star on a nice, dark night, and I would joke that there were other Ruby's in the sky." Oh, she's definitely up there now, and Pyrrha wished she could spit it at him. "She was so strong, so how did this happen to her?" He seemed to whisper. But Pyrrha heard, and all she could do was suppress her grin, and ask nobody in particular how if Ruby was so strong, was she able to kill her?

"Jaune, you have to let go of her. Let go of Ruby. Do you think she'd want you to be so depressed? Do you think she'd want to see you so down?"

"I know Pyrrha, I know. But," and turning around, Pyrrha could see the red in Jaune's eyes, the swelling and wetness indicative of crying. "I just can't help it. I think I loved her, and I looked up to her. She was what I wanted to be. Strong, fearless, and an amazing leader. I just, I just miss her so much, you know?"

As Jaune began to lightly sob, Pyrrha snapped. Quickly making her way over to Jaune, she grabbed his head and held it against her chest, trying to comfort him in a way she thought would work. As he sobbed, she spoke to him.

"Jaune, I'm here for you, okay? Please stop crying. I know you loved Ruby, but I love you. So, can't you allow me to take her place? To erase that sadness in your heart?"

Erase... and replace Ruby? Yeah. Yeah, maybe I should do that. Maybe, just maybe she would want that. You would, wouldn't you Ruby? Wouldn't you? You would want me to move on. But I won't forget you, Ruby.

* * *

Dawns first rays shining over her, Ruby woke from a fitful slumber. She'd had dreams of happier times, of the halcyon days that would not return. Of the days shattered by those she'd once called friends, and now saw as enemies. The scar on her abdomen was proof of this betrayal, a stigma she would bear for the rest of her life. A stigma not so easily erased, and one that would make any sort of normal life easy, reminding her of the darkness that lurks in every heart, that tears apart anything it can sink itself into. Shadows that crept over the once bright lights in the eyes of those who'd held hope, believed in the good in this world. A light extinguished from her eyes, a light she didn't need any longer. It simply clouded her thoughts, made her susceptible to the bleak realities of this world.

Rising from her makeshift bed of moss and leaves, she made her way out of the cave, and to the nearby river. Taking off her leather tunic, and the trousers that she usually wore to bed now, she slipped into the river, to wash away the sweat, dirt, and those damn feelings that kept confusing her. She didn't need them. Absorbed as she was in her hygiene, Ruby failed to notice that someone was creeping closer, and closer.

From her blindspot, Ruby failed to notice a hunter approaching her bathing spot. He seemed about a solid six and a half feet in height. His hair was long and unkempt, looking like wisps of graphite. His facial hair was no better, looking a bit gruff and poorly maintained. He wore nothing on his upper half except a sort of cape/coat, made of what seemed like the hide of some beast or another. His pants were torn up, possibly from years of use, as he seemed to be none the worse of wear.

"Ho ho ho, look at this. My luck's turning up it seems. A young flower, alone in the woods, and defenseless. No witnesses, and no society to condemn me. Hehehahah!" As he chuckled lightly to himself, praising his good fortune, he failed to realize that he was being looked at with similar eyes. Hungry eyes, but not the type of lustful hunger he himself had. A vengeful hunger, a gluttonous hunger. But in his confidence and arrogance, he simply approached Ruby, looking as she had the day she was born. And stupidly made himself known.

"Why, hello there girlie. You seem to be a little lost. Need some help?"

Realizing that she was the one being spoken to, Ruby turned to face what appeared to be a rather gruff mountain man. The way he carried himself, the look in his eye. It disgusted her. This man was another one of the scum of humanity, one of those disgusting creatures that Ruby now could only despise. She didn't even bother covering up, as she didn't even see him as a man. She saw him as less than that. Less than even an insect on the side of the road.

"Who are you? And what do you want?"

"Ahh, me? You could call me Johns. Or maybe Papa? Hehehe. As for what I want, well... First, that would be for you to remain silent, understand?" As he'd uttered this ridiculous, thinly vieled threat, he pulled from his back a pair of hatchets. Clicking a button on the handles, the two axes began to shift, turning into what appeared like the front and hack ends of a hunting rifle. Putting the two ends together, a small but still audible click could be heard, indicating that her assumption was correct. It was a rifle that could be disassembled into dual axes. Ruby was only mildly impressed. "And the next thing I want? Well, how about you walk out slowly, hands up? Heheh."

But Ruby made no move to comply with him, even with that rifle pointing straight for her head. She showed no semblance of fear, nor concern, or any other emotion. She simply looked at the man, bored, and practically expressionless. The only thing that indicated she was even human, and not some beautifully sculpted doll, was the heaving of her small chest, indicating her breathing, and the movement of her eyes, following some shadow behind the man. Knowing what it was, and the fate to befall the man, she raised her hand, and without flinching snapped. Using her aura to enhance the sound waves, she let off a loud, high pitched snap, almost sounding like a bone being broken.

"Dinah, hunt."

"What the-?" Before he could even finish asking what she had meant, he sensed a heavy killing intent behind him. Turning around, he faced a large Beowolf that was hurdling towards him with break neck speeds. Mustering all of his strength, he barely managed to avoid the worst of it, still taking a heavy claw to the leg. Picking himself up from the ground, he faced this attacker, and was hit with a sudden surge of fear. The Beowolf was larger than he'd guessed from the quick look he'd gotten as it charged him. It was absolutely massive.

"Great. I hunt these creatures, risk my life, and save humanity constantly. And when my reward finally comes, this happens. Fuck." But nobody would care. He knew that this was going to be no easy fight. And it didn't matter if he'd won. The girl would run, and he'd likely be half dead for his efforts. But that's never stopped him before, and foolishly believing in his own ability, he opted not to try and run.

"You know, you stand absolutely no chance against Dinah. You should run."

"Shut up girlie! Just stay there, and wait for me to kill this beast. Afterwards, I'll take my reward slowly, and surely!" Raising his rifle rather quickly, he believed he could end it in one shot. But there was no target. Looking around, all he saw was the small, porcelain-doll like girl staring at him, looking down on him despite easily dwarfing her. Had he paid any bit of attention, he'd have noticed the Beowolf coming down on him like a raid of Boarbatusks. But he didn't, and he paid for it. As it'd come crashing down, as it's claws violently tore his back apart. Blinding, burning pain across his back. His brain could only process the signals of pain and agony, the sensation of his lifeblood leaving, the feeling of death's cold embrace taking him. He could feel the gashes extending from his right shoulder, all the way down to the lumbar vertebrae in his lower back. He could not move, and could only watch helplessly as the giant beast bore down on him, ready to tear him apart.

"Dinah, heel."

But just like that, the Beowolf stopped. It listened to her commands, and this was something he could not fathom. A human controlling a Grimm? What exactly was she, and what sort of giant mistake had he made? Looking towards her, he saw that she'd already redressed herself, and was holding some sort of large red machine, accented with black markings. Looking closer, he noticed a scope at the top, and that opposite that scope, in the corner, it appeared that a mechanism folded out to be a trigger and handle. It was a gun. But it didn't stop there, as after a nice little click, the gun began to unfurl. Eventually, it became a large scythe, a sinister looking scythe. And now, he truly felt like the god of death had descended on him.

"P-p-please, don't k-kill me. I-I have a wife and k-kids." He gave some pitiful excuses, begging for his life, but Ruby looked at him with no mercy in her eyes. She only saw him with cold, unmoved eyes. "P-please, I b-b-beg of you."

"When you were so ready to do something so foul to me? I will show you the mercy as you would have shown me. Perhaps something in the next world will show you the mercy you want, hmm?" With that, she slipped Crescent Rose under his throat, her foot between his shoulder blades.

"You f-f-fucking b-bitch! You evil, D-dust damned m-murderer! Working with the G-grimm, betraying your o-own kind. If there's any j-justice in this world, you'll rot i-i-in Hell for what you're do-"

"Shut the fuck up." Tired of his ranting, Ruby pulled the trigger, Crescent Rose jumping up in her hands. Finding no resistance in his soft flesh, the scythe swiftly and gleefully separated his head from his shoulders, sending it rolling a few feet away. Looking down on the man she now decided to call worm food, she could feel nothing. She did not feel mercy or pity, regret or sorrow. Nor did she feel the last vestiges of the light in her heart fading, breaking from this abhorable act. Nor would she have even cared for that matter.

"It's okay Dinah. If you're hungry, you can eat. I'll go back, get dressed, and have my own breakfast. After that, it's time to go."

Turning her back on the scum, Ruby made her way back to her home, and began to prepare for her new journey. She was in this mess because she was powerless. So, how does a Rose fight? With thorns of course. But she would definitely need some more. A lot more in fact.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Yup, the gloves are off now. Shit is getting real, and my vocabulary is getting worse. Please, let me know if the way I curse like a sailor offends you. I'll censor it **_**just for you**_** (note, italics are my way of using sarcasm.)**

**Anyhow, in response to a few of you, I'm working a little harder on trying to advance the story on a few fronts at once. Yang and Ozpin's front is obviously moving towards searching for a truth they both believe has been hidden. Jaune's front is about trying to find a way to cope with Ruby's loss (sorry about the outright stated crush he had on her, but I can't help it. Seriously, I wrote Love is a Knight-mare, what do you expect?!) And Ruby's front is now moved from being the old, bright eyed Ruby to being the now uncaring Ruby. The uncaring, cold, and merciless Ruby. Expect some more violence on her end.**

**Now, for some of you who may dislike where I'm going with Jaune and Pyrrha (or even those of you who like it, in which case you're probably going to expect too much from me :D), do know that like the others who aided in Ruby's attempted assassination, Pyrrha will suffer. I won't spoil how, but this won't be a story with a happy ending. Nobody, the assassins, the sister, the best friend, the Cheshire smiler, or even the Red Queen herself. Nobody will be happy here. This story will end, and nobody will receive their fairy tale ending. Or maybe they will, depending on your perspective. I'll let you decide when the time comes, hehehe.**

**Oh, and in response to my previous question, the answer was that Dinah is the name of Alice's pet cat in Alice in Wonderland. Bonus points to Lord Revan Flame who pointed out (and I seriously hate myself for missing this) that Dinah's name means avenged, or vindicated. The delicious irony.**

**Anyhow, let me know how you guys are liking the story. I'm still a little hesitant to do half of what I am so far, but I figure it'll give me some experience with writing things that are a little darker. Meanwhile, I'll try to deliver on the quality you all know and expect. So, comments, criticisms, concerns, or just plain old questions. Anything you want, leave in the comments section, and I'll see about getting back to you in the next author's note, or by PM. G'night.**


	5. Mending Thorns 3

The days had been blending together for the past couple of weeks. For Yang, time became irrelevant the moment they brought back the news that she would never again set eyes on her precious little sister again. So now as seconds passed to minutes, minutes to hours, and hours to days, Yang simply went through the motions of living and existing. But recently, a new light has burned in her eye. A flame of desire. The desire for a truth that she herself held no memory of. A truth that seemed so strong, and yet fragile a d easily broken. A truth made from glass, a truth that slowly, but surely, was beginning to crack.

Having spent the most time with her, Yang knew that no Grimm would ever match Ruby in combat. Ursa, Beowolf, Taijitu, Boarbatusk, it didn't matter. Anything that wasn't a full fledged monster Grimm, Ruby could kill. And if it couldn't be killed, it definitely would not have been fast enough to kill her. And that was if she even allowed it a chance to attack. No, knowing what she did, Yang had absolutely no doubt in her mind that something more sinister was going on behind the scenes here. Someone wanted Ruby out of the way, intending to harm her or even lead to her death. And there was no doubt that if Yang found out who it was, she would likely beat them to death with her fists, and the very weapons that Ruby had specially crafted for her, her Ember Celica. There was no doubt, whatever fate the bastard deserved, Yang would undoubtedly give him worse. Or her worse. At this point, Yang couldn't be sure, and she really didn't care. She only wanted to know three things; their motive, their method, and how long it would take before their skulls caved under her raining fists.

But with a patience nobody thought she could ever have, Yang went through each day relatively peacefully, controlling her emotions so as to prevent any hint of her current plans from leaking out. Yang wanted to be careful, she wanted to corner the rat bastard who dared to harm her sister, and she wanted them to know her wrath. She wanted to see the fear on their faces when they realized that no god would save them, no hunter would appear to rescue them, that their friends would abandon them. She wanted them to completely, totally, and utterly regret what they had done, in this life and the next. Yes, Yang had already decided on it, and had no qualms about the thought. Whoever she found out did this to Ruby, that person would be afforded what mercy Ruby was; their life will be taken away, as brutally and agonizingly as possible.

The bell rang, and again Yang was reminded to move to her next class with haste. Imagining next to her an apparition of Ruby, blowing into her tiny little whistle, 'ordering' team RWBY to move to their next class as quickly as possible to get the best seats. Such memories almost made Yang want to cry. She wanted to roll herself up into the fetal position, get into a corner, and cry her eyes out until the tears could no longer come. But she resisted the urge.

"Not until I'm finished, Ruby. I swear, I will avenge you." But nobody heard this. Everybody, busy racing to their next class, was unaware of the threat, the promise, this young huntress was making. Anyone and everyone found completely guilty, she would not rest until they could apologize to Ruby personally. She would see to it, it was her new goal now.

"Hurry up you brute, we'll be late for Dust Alchemy, and you know that professor Edward hates to wait."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm moving Schnee." Being called by one of her remaining teammates, Yang got into motion, her thoughts put on hold for the time being. There would be more time to contemplate justice later. Ad no doubt she would. Her burning desire for revenge would not be quenched until she had completely bled the life out of whatever bastard had harmed her sister. But in transit to class, Yang accidently overheard a conversation that was not likely intended for her ears.

"-sad that the little girl who was originally supposed to represent in the tournament is gone, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that. It actually turned out great to be honest. Now, we won't have to be embarrassed when the other contenders see a child come up from our side. Would have been fucking pathe-"

Whatever thought the young man had, it never got finished. Before he had realized it, something had crashed into his face with the force of a pissed off Nevermore. To the onlookers, it seemed as if he'd suddenly gone flying. But when they looked back at where he'd been previously standing, there was a blonde standing there, golden gauntlets around her fists. Her eyes had switched to a bloody crimson, and her hair was burning. She was on fire, literally. But what made most of them flinch away was the pure hellfire and brimstone that burned in her eyes, a fury that likely would not be appeased or contained any time soon. A rage that belonged not to any human, but to a demon.

"What. The. Fuck. Did. You. Just! SAY?! What was that you just fucking said about my baby sister, huh you bastard?!" Yang didn't bother giving him a chance to respond. In a moment, she'd had him by the collar, and threw him at the lockers. Augmenting the force of her throw with a shot from each of her gauntlets, she threw him clear through the lockers, the wall behind them, and out through to the school's courtyard, where he landed in a fountain. But Yang wasn't finished, as she immediately jumped out from the hole she'd made in the second story wall, and crash landed on the unfortunate fool. Disregarding the water, Yang mounted him, and began to bash his head in repeatedly, not stopping even after blood began to pour from his mouth, his nose, and the several gashes that hard formed along his cheeks and forehead. It wasn't until she felt her arms bound by something that she finally stopped. Looking back, she saw Professor Goodwitch accompanied by a few students. It seems that she'd used a rune to bind Yang's movements for the time being, preventing her from killing the student.

"Quickly, take him to the infirmary." The students who'd come with Goodwitch went to the unmoving boy's side, grabbing an arm each. Picking him up, the students took him along to get treatment, leaving Goodwitch to deal with the aftermath.

"Miss Xiao Long, please explain yourself. Why were you about to kill that student?"

"That bastard was talking smack about my sister. He's lucky he's even still alive. If I see him again, and I hear anything like that from him again, I'll thoroughly break that jaw of his off!"

"That's enough Miss Xiao Long. Come along with me to the headmaster's office. Now, come along."

* * *

Unknown to Yang two of the perpetrators of her sister's assassination had seen the events unfold, both having had a front row seat. As had half of the freshmen student body, including the others, who from their various vantage points could only see what was described as brutal, and disturbing. As each began to feel concerned, a message sounded on all of their scrolls. It called for a meeting, today, in the cafeteria during lunch. None of them would refuse of course, as this events had reinforced one thought.

"If Yang ever finds out, she will kill us. We won't even have a pulse left! That fucking bitch is a psycho!" Kristen, the alchemist who was part of the team Ruby was paired with during the fateful hunt, had voiced her opinion. The opinion being the same of all present of course. That Yang was a demon, hellbent on vengeance.

"Calm down! It's not like she'd discovered us yet, right? As long as we continue as we have, she'll never find out." Cardin Winchester, hoping to maintain some of his previous bravado, tried to convince everyone present, especially himself. But nobody was really convinced.

"What if we just got rid of her?"

"Yeah right. Do you remember who tough Ruby was by herself? And she wasn't really serious about hurting us. That's right, you all seem so surprised. Having worked with that dunce for the past several months, I could tell she was holding back. Why, I don't know. All I know is that Yang won't be as kind as her sister. And she is almost, if not the exact same, type of monster that her sister is. Even if we win, odds are that most of us will likely either be severely injured, killed, or permanently crippled."

"So, just avoid that confrontation altogether, right?"

Everyone in attendance agreed. After a little more small talk, mostly regarding their deeds, the group broke. Each headed back to their own world, trying to overshadow this little realm that only they were a part of. Hunters that had forsaken their vows, and had taken into their hands a power they should not have.

* * *

_**It had been a while since they last ate. It's companions, all as large as fierce as it was, were all beginning to hunger again. But what were the chances that they would find sustenance? Those with the lights in their breasts rarely came through here, rumors and fear spreading like wildfire. Sure, the occasional huntsman would come, trying to cut them down. But they were smart, they were strong. And they knew it. **_

_**As the pangs were beginning to take them, they heard a howl in the distance. Their kind had found something. A new prey. A meal. Swiftly descending upon his position, they looked towards their prey, and saw a little human. Barely anything on her, which led to some disappointment. But that was soon forgotten, a promise of fresh meat taking priority in their heads. But behind her, they saw another of their kin. Large, powerful, and old. It was definitely not one any of them would regularly go against, but it did make them question why it hadn't decided to kill the human yet. Maybe it would share?**_

_**Creeping closer, stalking this new prey, they began to notice something. The light usually held by the humans, was unnaturally dim in her. In it's place resided a darkness similar to their own. They could not understand. Was she a human, or a kin? It vexed them at first, but they rationalized her as a human. Why? Only a human would smell so good. It did not matter if she had the same darkness; hunger was hunger, and a human was only human. So they stalked her, gaining inch by inch. Until the time came, and they descended.**_

* * *

Ruby knew she was being followed. The Grimm had a rather good job of hiding itself, or rather themselves. But to Ruby, it was a pathetic attempt at best. Were it one with less experience than her, with less finely tuned senses for hunting, they would have been successful. No doubt in her mind, they would most definitely have been successful. There was no sound of their stalking, no rustling of leaves or branches. The underbrush didn't shift, nor did she even feel a change in the wind. No killing intent either it seemed. Bravo. She would actually like to have them. Rather, she really did want them.

"Hey, Dinah..."

But before she could finish, the Beowolves descended upon her. All of them were about the size of a normal Beowolf, except maybe one. He seemed like the alpha of the group, easily dwarfing the others. But unfortunately for him, Dinah dwarfed him. Pulling out Crescent Rose, Ruby fired and flew back immediately. Not a single hint of emotion played across her face. Her combat instinct had taken over, and she simply evaded. And now, with her prey out in the open, she could get a good idea of what she was looking at. One... Two... Three... Thirteen. Thirteen Beowolves. And what skilled Beowolves they were too. She silently praised their stealth capabilities, and their ability to work together. Perhaps that Alpha was the true prize, huh?

"Dinah, I would like to fight that one there," and to accentuate her point, Ruby lifted Crescent Rose and pointed it directly at the large Beowolf. Dinah understood, and began what Ruby considered 'subjugation'.

The Longer a Grimm survives, the more powerful it can grow. Reptilian and Invertebrate type Grimm tended to molt, or shed what shells they had, and would often grow a stronger, more powerful one in it's place. Mammalian type Grimm, like the Beowolf, would grow larger and larger, their plates expanding to cover their bodies and growing ever sharper. All in all, an evolution designed for killing. This one seemed to have some years under it's belt, and Ruby liked that. She'd wanted it. But something was hellbent on disturbing her. Shifting her cloak slightly, Ruby grabbed at a few tools on her belt, and with swift practiced moves threw them directly above her. A second later, she was rewarded with a yelp, as well as the falling corpse of a Beowolf. It seemed one had stayed in the treetops, trying to sneak attack her. Unfortunately for it, Ruby was smarter, faster, and had some specially carved throwing knives crafted from the bony plates of the Ursa kills from the other day. Calmly walking over to the now fallen Beowolf, she plucked her knives out, one by one. After wiping them off on the pelt of the dead Grimm, she stuck them back in her belt.

Meanwhile, the other Beowolves didn't have the luxury of being concerned for their fallen comrade. Moving towards them was a Grimm that by all accounts was the epitome of a predator. Large, powerful, smart, and fast. They knew that to stop it would be difficult, if not impossible. It seemed from her vantage point that to Ruby, it seemed they were trying to talk with Dinah. Maybe communicate with her or something? Ruby Briefly held some panic, worrying about what would happen should Dinah switch sides. But it didn't come to that thankfully. As she neared, Dinah never wavered. Eventually, they lunged for her, realizing there was no other option. But they were too slow, and before any of them could even yelp, Dinah's claw had swung around, beheading the three of them. Their bodies seeming so small and frail compared to Dinah, she simply advanced. Taking a deep breath, Dinah released a loud, throaty growl. It was bestial, it was primal. It was a challenge. It was a threat.

The others could not even move, Dinah's presence having deeply rooted each one to their spot, fear abundant in their minds. Only their alpha could even move, and it seemed he didn't have any choice. As he stepped forward to face Dinah, she stepped aside, leaving the alpha to face his true enemy. The small, red and black clad human he had previously sought to hunt.

"Hee hee hee. Well Mr. Big Bad Wolf," she began with an impish, childlike grin. But it was no longer her innocent grin, it was a grin filled with agendas and plans. She looked beautiful, like a smiling doll. But it was no simple smile. It was sinister, it gave off a very bad vibe. "Wouldn't you kindly submit to me?" A roar answered her question, the alpha seeming to have understood her. Letting the smile fade, Ruby simply sighed. "I assumed it would come to this. Force it is then."

* * *

"Damn that little wretch. Her sister's causing problems even after she has benefited the most. What an ungrateful brute."

In the team RWBY dorm, Weiss Schnee was currently griping again about how unfair the world was to her. And why shouldn't she? She had brains, skill, and more fame and power than just about anyone. So why would that damn brute be chosen after her sister died, rather than the perfect huntress, herself? The very thought infuriated Weiss, as to her it insinuated that Yang was at a level above her, that she was better. But even through all the stewing, Weiss could still only cling to one thought.

"I'm glad that wretched little dunce is gone. Maybe now I can finally have the spotlight."

In her head, Weiss liked to imagine that now that Ruby was gone, team RWBY would get a new member, a new name, and that she would be made leader. To her, it seemed like the most likely option at this time, and it made sense. She was practically perfect, especially compared to her other teammates. And she had everything going for her; talent, fortune, and inheriting a company that she had been practically raised by since birth. Everyone there knew her, loved her, and expected her to take over in the end anyhow. So on top of being famous and strong as a huntress, she had her natural beauty, and her family's company to inherit. A perfect life, well deserved.

As she was about to nod off, she took a look at her scroll. On it, a message indicator was displayed, showing that she'd received an email. Opening it up, she saw it was from her father, and read through. It spoke of how proud he was of her, how she was doing her family and him proud, and how he loved her. It filled her with so much joy, being praised by her father. She loved him with all of her heart, despite his work constantly keeping him away from home. Even if her memories of him were few, they were warm and they were comforting.

Holding her scroll close, the attached picture of her family showing, Weiss drifted off to sleep. In her head danced visions of crowds adoring her, men falling to their knees in her presence. She saw the family that she loved, and who she knew loved her back. Her father, mother, uncles, aunts, everyone at the company. And she smiled, beaming on. To her, this was a future that was definitely worth having stained her hands for, and that she would gladly do it again if need be.

"Told you that Ozpin made a mistake."

* * *

Before Ruby laid a prostrating Beowolf. The alpha who had been so eager to fight her had quickly fallen before her. Her speed, coupled with skillful use of the non-lethal measures her scythe was capable of, allowed her beat the alpha into submission. Now, laid out before her, it's previous bravado lost, the alpha could only stare up at one who had thrashed it. From Dinah emitted a low growl, almost as if trying to warn him. Eventually, the alpha just outright gave up, lowering it's head before Ruby. Nodding in satisfaction, Ruby reached under her cloak and grabbed something she held on her new belt. A belt crafted from interlocked plates from the Ursa, each nicely carved and cleaned, it was a sight. A belt of pure alabaster, with crimson markings giving the impression of flames dancing across the her midsection. But from that belt was pulled a large, circular plate of bone. Made of smaller, interlocking mechanisms that Ruby liked to call chains, she fit the collar around the alpha's neck, and tightened it. The small click sealing the deal, Ruby now looked at the Grimm Plate collar, used to mark her new pet.

"So, what to call you, hmm? You're sneaky, and rather quick. Oh, I got it! From now on, you'll be called Chesh, okay? It's short for Cheshire. Lovely name, right? Right?" Impatient with the lack of a response, Ruby gripped the collar around the Beowolve's neck, and began to tighten it. After a few second of gasping, it eventually gave out a yelp. Taking it as a yelp of confirmation or assent, Ruby let go. "Good."

"Now, let's go Chesh. Grab your buddies, because we're still fifty-two cards short of a full deck. And I plan to play war with a full hand."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Sorry for the shortened chapter. This won't become a trend, I promise. I made it short so as to be a type of explanation chapter. I figured a few things needed to be properly explained, so I'll do what I can here.**

**First, as I was asked about this, I'll explain the thing regarding the Ursa first. The difference between the Ursa and Dinah, for now, is age. As explained in the story, when Grimm age, they grow stronger, bigger, and smarter. Experience for a Grimm is the equal of authority. Dinah is old, and strong, so when she saw the darkness in Ruby, she saw a possibility that Ruby may not be an enemy, and may in fact be just what the Grimm need. A leader. The Ursa, and in this chapter the other Beowolves, were younger, and don't have quite the same thoughts as Dinah did. They simply see a small human, an easy kill and an easy meal.**

**As for everyone's fate, I'd like to reiterate a point and introduce a new one. First, I'm sorry to all of you who were hoping otherwise, but Ruby will be alone when this story ends. Jaune, Yang, Penny, Velvet, Nora. Nobody she knows, none of her friends will be by her side when this ends. It doesn't mean that won't take her side. It just means that she will not have any human or Faunus companions, regardless of how much they want her to be with them, or to be with her. She'll be alone, and trust me that's harder to do than most other things I've written. And second, I won't be having anyone who can avoid it commit a murder. The way I was raised, murder is one of the gravest sins you can commit, and is not to just be done willy nilly. For Ruby, it shows her descent into hatred and darkness. But I will avoid corrupting those I can. As such, neither Yang nor Ozpin will, as far as I have so far planned, take another life. Especially since it would ruin the ending I have planned.**

**As for the other students, I will be doing small segments for those we know one by one. We already saw Pyrrha's thoughts and motivations, and saw some of Weiss in this chapter. Next will likely be Cardin, and then Blake. I will fully explain what each one was thinking, and why they decided it was a good idea (to them at least). I will not leave you guys hanging there.**

Also, I hope you guys like my references to Alice in Wonderland. No contest needed, we all know why Ruby named the new addition what she did. Anyhow, I do plan to continue with that trend, somewhat. Seriously, I did name this fic 'The Red Queen' for a reason. 

**Anyhow, you know the usual. Comments, criticisms, and concerns. I'm available for all questions, but please try to limit PM'ing me if the question can be asked in the comments section. Someone else may have the same question, and answering it twice (one in the PM, and the other in the A/N) is a bit of a pain -.-' Anyhow, see you next chapter. Ciao.**


	6. The Queen's Court

It was a quiet day at Beacon, as usual Classes had already been let go, and everyone was either out at Vale, napping, or just hanging around with those that they've seen fit to call friends. But not for one young blonde.

Locked away in her dorm, Yang was, as she had been doing for the past several days straight, just playing video games. Even with her complete belief that someone was responsible for having caused Ruby's accident and death, she still couldn't do too much. Professor Ozpin had seen wisdom in what she'd told him, her thoughts on the subject and the matter at hand. There was no possible way that Ruby would have lost, and she knew it. Ozpin knew it. Every last damn student of Beacon, even those who disliked, Ruby knew it. Ruby was one of the best in the school for their class, and there was not a single person who could deny it. She wasn't made leader of her own team at such a young age for nothing.

But her hands were currently bound on the subject. Ozpin had told her to be calm, and try to not cause any more problems. After her little temper explosion the other day, and the poor sap that she'd hospitalized after beating the ever loving dust out of him, Ozpin had seen a very angry Yang in his office, bound by Goodwitch's spell of course. After assuring Goodwitch that Yang would be no more trouble, and having her release he spell binding her hands, Ozpin dismissed her and had a chat with Yang. It was at that point that Ozpin tried to reason with Yang about the current situation, explaining to her that her actions would likely ruin her chances or lessen her chances of discovering anyone who was behind this plot. Ozpin reasoned that Yang's displays of violence would likely intimidate or scare off the other party, keeping them from making any slip ups that would allow them to be identified. After making a reasonable argument, Yang was convinced, and decided to keep her attitude under better watch in order to better work out this thing she had with Ozpin.

Which led to the current situations. In her room, on her game station, Yang was replaying one of her favorite first-person shooters to keep herself busy. Choosing her loadout that was equipped with speed and agility improving perks and her favorite pump-action shotgun, Yang went ape. Game after game, Yang tore through her every opponent, her concentration at an all time high. Over her head set, she could hear her randomly decided teammates giving themselves undeserved praise for the victories, bragging about how well they were keeping the objectives safe. Normally, Yang would be joining in on the cheering and jeering. But right now, all she did was act on auto-pilot, shooting anything that came within the range of her precious gun. After having gone through so many of the enemies, Yang was beginning to run a little low on ammo though. Searching for a usable weapon, she picked up the first she'd come across and immediately regretted it. It was a bolt action sniper rifle, the first you can acquire in the game. It had a medium ranged scope, but one that Yang was familiar with. The problem is that the camo used for the gun was primarily red with small black accents. Like Crescent Rose...

Yang had enough. Disconnecting her head set, she turned off the system, much to the dismay of her team, and sunk her head into her hands. And she sat there, her emotions playing with her. She wanted to get angry, to get sad, to get destructive. But she knew that she couldn't. She had to control herself, she had to hold herself back and save it all for the bastard or bastards that harmed her sister. She had to. But the stress was mounting, and her once strong and proud shoulders, the ones her sister always followed and looked towards, were slumped. Her emotions were crushing her, and she could do nothing about it except resign herself to locking herself away and rotting within this room, this coffin. Everyone of her emotions threatening to burst, Yang knew that if she spent time outside she would likely do exactly what she shouldn't. But she also had to before she was completely smothered by the suffocating feeling of depression that was taking her.

After a while, Yang decided that she could try and do both. Heading over to the bathroom, Yang switched from her night clothes into her usual battle attire, and headed over to Beacon's training hall. She wanted to hit something. She needed to hit something. She desperately needed to hit something, and hit something, and just hit something. She needed to get rid of the feelings before they consumed her, and the best way was to force them onto another person, preferably with violence. And the best place for that was the arena, which had Dust Bot's to simulate actual battles. Arriving at the training hall, she stopped short of entering, and listened for a second. The sound of weapons striking one another gave the impression that there were people training in the hall. But as it was not reserved, nor was there anything official that was preventing her from entering, she just walked on in, and found team CRDL practicing.

In the training hall, Beacon has several types of mock weapons for simulation battles that allows students to practice without causing (permanent) harm to one another. One of the more popular weapons used was a large wooden bat, studded with metal rivets the size of ping pong balls. It was the preferred weapon of choice for strength type fighters, or those trying to train and improve their strength. As such, they loved them. Making her way slowly towards the training grounds, Yang could feel her battle lust being ignited. She didn't really like Cardin or his team of misfits, nobody did really. On top of that, she really needed to punch something. To her, it was almost like being granted a gift by Heaven. A crappy Heaven that stole her younger sister early, and a Heaven that deserved to be burnt to the ground for what it'd done. But none the less, it was a gift.

"Hey fellas, how's it going?"

"What do you want blondie?"

"What does it look like I want?" Yang looked at each member of Cardin's team individually, evaluating each as her eyes passed over them. Russel, Dove, and Sky. None of them seemed intimidating in the least, be in their lack of size or presence. Due to his size, Cardin did strike a slightly intimidating figure sometimes, but Yang never really cared. His arrogance and bratty attitude pissed her off. So, cracking her knuckles one by one, Yang made her intentions clear. "I'm here to avoid getting rusty. Wanna play with me a little? I'm burning with the desire to fight."

"Tch, get out of here. We have no time to be fighting women."

"Oh, so the great Cardin Winchester and his team are afraid of one little ol' Yang? Tsk tsk fellas, what will everyone else think when they hear this?" Yang's tone just kept becoming more and more mocking, teasing. Right now, she wanted to incite their anger, rouse their fury. She wanted them to attack her, she wanted to attack them. She wanted a reason to cave some skulls in. And by damn, she would resort to some low blows if that's what it took. "I was even going to let you have a little handicap. Tch, wimps."

"Listen here blondie. We ain't wimps, and you'd better remember that. Now you asked for it," he began, as he and his goons started to surround and flank Yang, cutting off her escape routes. "So no complaining when we beat the blonde off of you."

"Oh, interesting. Well, try it if you can."

It could be said that your average animal has instincts dedicated to survival. For most, this manifests itself in a form that allows one to perceive when they are in danger, and react accordingly. When fighting a stronger foe, one runs. When fighting a weaker foe, or one on even ground, one would fight. This would be considered the fight or flight mechanism by some. But at this point, Cardin's was broken. He didn't see the hellfire and brimstone burning in Yang's eyes, the crimson slowly bleeding it's way into the ever lilac colored irises. And he certainly did not feel nor account for the bone chilling battle lust that Yang was currently giving off, a feeling that one versed in the art of aura reading would likely shiver at the thought of facing. No, he and his team just charged blindly, poking and prodding the dragon with their little sticks.

From behind Yang came the one with the funny little Brussels Sprout haircut. Not missing a beat, from her left came the one with the completely straight and long hair. Both brandished their weapons, and charged, forgetting completely that Yang was a close quarters combat specialist. Before the dude with the long hair even reached her, Yang fired off from Ember Celica at him, forcing him to slow down and block the shot. Meanwhile, the one behind Yang didn't fare so well, as she used the momentum from the shot to propel her arm backwards, striking him in the temple with her elbow. Not allowing him a respite, she grabbed him by the arm, twisted herself under it, spun him around towards the other guy, and threw him with a shotgun augmented blast. Her natural strength, coupled with Ember Celica's firing power, launched the man right into his teammate who'd just began his charge again, sending both rolling across the arena. Now, with all of her opponents in front of her, Yang let the battle lust completely take over. Her eyes turning pure crimson, wisps of flame dancing around her golden locks, and her gauntlets cocked, locked, and ready to fire again. Yang was ready to bust some heads, and Cardin and his team knew it.

"Oh fu-"

* * *

It was another normal day for Ruby, sort of. She'd woken up, hunted down some food with her little pack, and began to work on some new tools and such for herself. So far, she'd used up most of the nice little plates of armor from the Ursa, having only a few small pieces left. Knives, her belt, the collar she'd made before. All of these ended up expending her materials rather quickly, and it irked Ruby to have already gone through such a nice resource. She wanted to get some more soon, preferably to work on some extra things she'd wanted. From their hunt, she'd gotten some hides that she'd managed to tan and turn into a rather decent carrying bag. In the bag were a few of the things she'd current;y deemed necessary; some extra clothes she'd made from the remnants of her old clothes and some of the Ursa leather, some of her tools made from the spikes and such from the Ursa, a spool of string she'd made from plant fibers and such, and a little leather pouch she'd created for storing water to drink. All in all, she was well equipped, but she still needed some more resources, or this would become a difficult journey.

She'd traveled quite a bit north, planning to gather any worthwhile Grimm she could find. But the journey had been rather peaceful so far, and it was annoying her somewhat. She needed more Grimm if she was to get the revenge she deserved. But she was getting tired for the day, and decided to take some time to rest. Pulling some of the leftover meat from earlier out of her little bag, Ruby set up a small fire, placed the meat in the middle of a stick, and hung the stick above the fire to cook. Taking a look around, she observed the Grimm currently traveling with her.

Despite having had to grow up so quickly, having to bear a darkness no child her age should ever have to, Ruby still had some of that child in her. The longer she spent with Dinah, Chesh, and the others, the more that childish spark returned to her eye. She loved learning about them, every new thing she learned bringing back out her imagination and her innocent spirit. It never truly lasted, but they were some of the few times Ruby would ever be the young, innocent girl she once was. And so, when she had the opportunity, she observed them. The way the Grimm structured themselves was almost like a hierarchy, but also similar to the way beasts would. They displayed intelligence, and a lack of it at the same time, and this contradiction held Ruby's interest. She desired to learn more, and she always tried to.

As Ruby was cooking her dinner, the rest of her pack spread out to find their own, each hunting separately. This was another thing that fascinated Ruby, how they could work together like a well oiled machine, and then work just as amazingly by themselves. Was it that the skills the developed as a group bled into their own individual talents, or that their individual talents allowed them to work perfectly in a group? She could only wonder, and wonder she did. She wondered so much that she lost sight of her surroundings, focusing instead on Dinah, and Chesh, and the rest of the group. So lost was she that she didn't notice the shadows stalking her until it was too late.

_Tump. Tump. Tump. _

It lumbered out of the woodwork. No, they did. Before Ruby stood five absolutely stupidly large Ursai. And large they were. They could all easily stand shoulder to shoulder with Dinah. Covered with such a large number of bony plates and spikes, they looked less like bears and more like living tanks. For the first time since her betrayal, Ruby began to feel genuine fear. If they got a hold of her, Ruby would stand no chance whatsoever. She even doubted that she'd be able to cut through them fast enough, if their armor was anything to judge by. It'd likely end up that by the time she managed to cut through one or two of them, she'd be set upon by the others. This was definitely not a good position to be in.

"Fucking hell."

Before Ruby could decided her next move, the foremost Ursa broke from the group, charging her. As she tried to get up to run, she stumbled on her skirt, falling back onto her rear. She didn't have enough time to react, and she knew it. Was this how it was supposed to end? Before she could even get close enough to those who wronged her? To take the revenge she so desperately deserved? So needed? Unfair. Just so unfair. What kind of sick bastard would come up with this kind of joke. A couple of meters away now, and Ruby knew it was her end. All she could do as the hulking shadow pounced on her.

* * *

In his room, Cardin Winchester was recovering from the several new bruises he was currently nursing. Nobody had ever said that Cardin was good with women, and this recent event would only prove them wrong if they had. Completely opposite of his expectations, he and his buddies were completely thrashed by Yang, each having gathered a blackened eye and a dozen assorted bruises at the very least from her well performed beat-down. Even if his pride was hurt, along with his face, ribs, and arms, Cardin had to grudgingly admit that the busty blonde brawler was quite skilled. Taking on four men who were armed with dangerous weapons that could have severely injured her, armed only with a pair of gauntlets, she used a combination of martial arts and technical skill to completely decimate them. Had he not been concentrating on trying to recover from his wounds, his heart might've been moved by her display of strength, along with her other assets.

"Ow. Shit, that bitch hits hard." Again rubbing the spots where Yang had most concentrated her assault, the area on his forearm perfectly centered between the wrist and the elbow, he realized how lucky he is to not have lost feeling after the brutal assault she'd laid upon him. Thinking of how much worse it could be, Cardin shivered. His well trained body, the muscles he'd so painstakingly cultivated with his years of training and body building, were his pride. In a contest of strength, he might not lose except to the most hardened of veterans whose strength would likely far exceed his own. He was just glad to have come away still able to use the body he so loved. "Crap, had she hit me any harder I might not have even been able to lift a spoon though."

His aura still actively trying to help him recover from his wounds, Cardin moved to his door, hoping to reach Beacon's cafeteria without feeling too much of the aftereffects. Moving slowly, deliberately, and with a purpose, he tried his hardest to avoid angering his wounds, and made his way as surely as he could to the cafeteria. Reaching it without too much trouble, Cardin got his dinner, and sat down at his table, preparing to give himself the energy he would need to aid in his own recovery. Halfway through his meal, the soup spoon in his hand nearly to his lips, Cardin heard another person take a seat at his table. Looking up, he saw his teammate, Dove, plopping down his tray, along with his person.

"Hey Cardin, you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I think. You?"

"Well enough. I was thinking that after this, I would go and hit the gym a little. Do some working out, hit the weights a little. You game?"

"Hmm," mused Cardin. But the offer was too tempting despite his sore bones. Why would he refuse? It gave him the chance to improve the body he was so proud of, to again hone the strength that he took such great care in building up. "Sure, why not?" Of course he accepted. Why wouldn't he? And maybe he could even out brawl the blonde next time, and possibly end up coming away with a little more than some mended pride. Heh, yeah right, but he could hope.

* * *

Ruby was struck by several emotions at once. But primary among them were relief, and adoration. Relief at being alive, and adoration towards Dinah and Chesh, both who dropped out of nowhere like a ton of bricks on top of the offending Ursa, and crushing his head with impunity in a well coordinating strike. Now, before Ruby, stood two absolutely large Beowolves, standing between her and the now angered Ursai. But the Beowolves did not care. The collared one looked on with defiance, challenging the Ursai to step closer. Protecting it's new master. The larger, more contained one looked with a menacing glare, as if to dare the the opposing Grimm to make any stupid moves. Moves that would undoubtedly become their last.

With the intervention of these two new opponents, and the death of their comrade, the Ursai could only stop, and consider their situation. Before them were two Beowolves. In a general sense, the three most common Grimm types had a sort of check and balance system in place. Beowolves were fast, but tended to lack defensive capabilities, acting as glass canons. Against the heavily armored Boarbatusks, this was a huge disadvantage, but against the slow and lumbering Ursa, they were unstoppable. The Boarbatusks, with their defense, could outlast a Beowolf, but were nothing before the sheer power of an Ursa. The Ursa could tear a Boarbatusk apart with little problem, but would be swiftly outmatched by a Beowolf. Even with such advanced ages as they'd all boasted, the odds of their victory were still very slim, despite their heavy armament of spikes and plates. Against the smaller Beowolf, against Chesh, they would possibly be able to win. Against Dinah, who was the same size as they were, they would likely lose one or two of their number just trying to beat her. Naturally, Ursa are larger than Beowolves. For a Beowolf to stand shoulder to shoulder with one, obviously that Beowolf was much older, and obviously much stronger. And both sides knew it.

As each side observed the opponent before them, Ruby picked herself up and dusted herself off. Grabbing Crescent Rose from the ground, Ruby flipped her into scythe form, pointed her business end at the Ursai, and took her own chance to survey the situation. There was no action, both sides paralyzed for some reason. Ruby could only make a few guesses, none of which she felt would adequately appease her questioning nature. As she tried to figure out what the hell both sides were doing, Dinah and Chesh moved slightly back, both resting themselves at her flanks. The Ursa likewise moved, two coming closer to the group. Even if the Beowolves outmatched them by themselves, they could likely take them on if the numbers were in their advantage. Discounting the human, the Ursai moved forward, preparing to advance on the pair of Beowolves defending Ruby. Before they could go any further, two of the Beowolves from Chesh's pack jumped out of the forest, lunging straight for the two of them. But alas, they stood absolutely no chance. Even with their advantage of speed, the two Beowolves were outclassed in terms of strength and ability, and the Ursa each halted their advance, and took the Beowolves down. The first Ursa swiped at the closest Beowolf, knocking him to the ground, and proceeded to crush the tiny wolf's neck in it's jaws, squeezing the life out it. The other Ursa simply grounded his Beowolf and smashed it's head in, completely crushing the skull. It was the perfect display of brute force.

Ruby felt pained at seeing two of her newest 'Wolves killed, and could see that it aso had an impact on Chesh. Chesh, who'd been keeping himself in control before, charged forward and assaulted the nearest Ursa, followed quickly by Dinah taking on the other. As the two of them handled their own respective Ursa, Ruby calmly stepped forward and faced the remaining two. Remembering Dinah's one-sided battle with the Ursa from before, Ruby remembered Dinah using her greater agility and speed to her advantage, a thought that Ruby had decided to try for herself. Stepping forward slowly, taking a couple of small paces, she approached the Ursai slowly. As they braced for Ruby's assault, she completely disappeared from their sight.

Confused, they had no idea what to expect. Not until at least a scythe came flying in from the blindside of one of the Ursa, sending a large crescent blade at this thick plate covering it's skull. The blade failed to peirce, but the impact jarred the Ursa, long enough for Ruby to retrieve her weapon and retreat a short distance from the Ursa. Aiming Crescent Rose behind her, Ruby fired, using the recoil to augment her natural speed and the speed gain from her semblance. With the force of a raging Boarbatusk, she smashed the side of her scythe into the head of the Ursa she'd previously tried to de-brain, the impact stacking with the previous attack knocking it entirely unconscious. With one out of the way, Ruby had some breathing room to focus on the other.

The other who was now aware of her speed, and began to take appropriate precautions. But the precautions were in vain, as to the battlefield off to the side, Dinah was just finishing up her own, having just sunk her claws into the neck of her own opponent, and moving to aid Chesh in finishing off his own. Chesh had already disabled his own Ursa's movement, having severed one of it's tree stump sized legs, and working on injuring the other. The moment Dinah arrived, it was a completely one-sided curb-stomp as the two worked in perfect unison, flanking the Ursa and decapitating the beast with impunity. With it's companions taken down, and it's last remaining ally temporarily out of combat, the remaining Ursa just shrunk back, realizing it's situation. Ruby saw the chance, and decided to take it.

"Well, you see the situation now, right?" Ruby still wasn't sure if Grimm understood her words entirely, but she reasoned that since Dinah and Chesh could, maybe this Ursa could as well. "How about this; I need some allies, and seeing as how you guys just killed two of mine, how about you join me and take their place? I mean, it's either that, I subjugate you, or I simply have Dinah and Chesh here take off your heads?"

The Ursa seemed to understand, but still be a little hesitant. But after some growling from Dinah, it seemed to give up, and resign itself to the service of it's new queen. The other Ursa just waking up took a look at the situation, and already knew it was screwed. The Ursa who'd quietly surrendered seemed to communicate with the other by some growls and grunts, and apparently explained the situation to it. Or at least, that's how it seemed to Ruby anyhow. She didn't care. They were walking tanks, defense and offense on an entirely different level than anything she'd seen before. Even the Ursa that Jaune had killed with the help of Pyrrha's semblance couldn't come close. They would be great assets, and Ruby wanted them. The other Ursa, now seeming to get the situation, hesitantly, but surely, lowered it's own head, also showing that it was surrendering to Ruby.

"Perfect. Glad that you came along so willingly. Now, what to call you? How about I call you... 'Dee. And you'll be 'Dum. Like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Nice names, huh?" A little grunt from the Ursai seemed to be an affirmation of sorts. "Great. Now 'Dee, 'Dum, let's go. I've got to harvest your buddies for materials, as well as food for Dinah, Chesh, and all the others. Yeah, you get to meet the other sin my pack now too..." And she again set to work, cooking a new chunk of meat for herself, harvesting the leather and other materials from the Ursa remains, and giving the two pack members a proper burial. All in all, she would be kept busy for quite a while. But it was fine to her. Her family, her army, was growing larger yet again.

"I guess the house doesn't always win, huh? The cards seem to be in my favor now, huh?"

* * *

And far away from her, in Beacon, the thoughts of one young blonde were in perfect harmony with Ruby, though both held vastly different agendas.

* * *

"With these hands-"

"_With this hand-"_

* * *

"I will crush those bastards."

"_I will crush those bastards."_

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Well, new chapter, yay. I debated for a while on how to do it. I wasn't sure if I should add these two or not, so it took me a couple of days to write it out. Eventually, I decided to do it. I mean, it was gonna happen sooner or later anyhow.**

**Anyhow, I want to try something new next chapter. I'm going to actually let you guys decided the next step of this story. We know that Jaune and Yang are emotional wrecks, the people who attacked Ruby are all struggling with their own inner demons on the subject, and that Ozpin is basically doing his thing in tandem with Yang to try and find out what the hell happened to Ruby (I plan to let their be no major breakthroughs for a while there, though I may add some suspense there for the shits and giggles). I want you guys decided what the next chapter will focus on. Will we still be following Ruby on her journey to gather more comrades? Will we see the mending process that Jaune is going through to forget Ruby and move on with Pyrrha? Follow Yang and Ozpin as they work to uncover the truths behind the incident? Follow the attempted assassins as they deal with their own emotions and guilt? Or anything else you can think of. Just lemme know in the comments.**

**So anyways, aside from all of that, I don't have much more to say really. You know the usual. Tell me what you think, ask any questions you may have, and overall just hit me with any thoughts you may have had. Have a good night, and I'll be seeing you guys next chapter. Ciao!**


	7. Side Story-Ruby in Wonderland

***Foreword***

**Been a while since I've done a foreword in any of my projects, huh? Anyhow, still working on the next chapter, so I decided to put in this little side story that I'd written up a while ago. Kinda canon-ish I guess, but this is more like a little joke event that happens to Ruby. Enjoy, while I work on the next chapter.**

* * *

It seemed like just another morning for Ruby at first. Wake up well before any of her little group, check on all of them, and proceed to prepare herself breakfast of a kind. Pulling out the rabbit meat she had stored up, Ruby put it over a fire and allowed it to cook for a while. In the meantime, trusting that there wouldn't be too many creatures or humans stupid enough to try anything on a camp where at least a dozen larger as hell Grimm were sleeping, she left the food to cook and went to wash herself up.

Her bath was a morning routine for her, and she would often take however much time she needed to scout around wherever she made her camp for the night and search for some source of water; a river, waterfall, lake, etc. So long as she could wash off the dirt and sweat, she was fine. A shower, she mused, was a luxury that she truly felt it sucked having to live without. Another thing to add to the list of stuff that her assassins had stolen from her. Another thing to kindle the burning desire in her to polish Crescent Rose's blade with thir blood. Make them regret their decisions and actions. And regret she would make them feel alright.

After finishing up another one of her pleasant baths, and clothing herself, Ruby made her way back to her camp to eat her breakfast. What she found upon returning, however, stunned her. Where her breakfast had been previously cooking sat what appeared to be a pure white Beowolf. Seeing this, Ruby could not even move, all thoughts and any semblance of cognitive ability had halted. The scene before her eyes was beyond abnormal, simply impossible rather. It was a known fact that Grimm have no souls, and as such possess a body comprised of absolute darkness. A white Beowolf defied that logic, implying there was some sort of light in this Beowolf. An impossibility, an irregular. Ruby was intrigued, and when she began to think properly again upon the shock wearing off, she decided that she wanted it. Even if it was nowhere near Dinah's size, Cheshire's size, or even the size of one of Cheshire's pack, she still wanted it. It didn't look quite as imposing as 'Dee or 'Dum either, but she still wanted it. Why? It was absolutely freaking cute!

"Well, hi there," Ruby began, traces of her childish nature creeping up again. Across her face was an innocent smile, showing no trace of the pitch that was consuming her heart, showing instead the visage of a simple, and curious child. A simply innocent and curious child. It was a smile that could melt anyone or anything's heart, should it have one. "You see, that there was my breakfast. I'm not mad, nope. But I do like your pretty white fur. Wanna travel with me? I wouldn't mind feeding you more if you'd want. Come on, come here. I won't bite... much."

The curiously white Beowolf just stared at her, unmoving, as though deciding it's next course of action very carefully. After an appropriate amount of time, the Beowolf began to inch towards Ruby. As he crept closer, her eyes grew wider and wider, thinking only of the adorable new pet she would be receiving. But much to her surprise, mid stride the Beowolf turned back and began to run in the opposite direction. After a a minute of feeling down and abandoned, Ruby turned towards her Grimm and barked her orders.

"Hey, wake up. Wake up!" After rousing her companions, Ruby pointed out the fleeing Beowolf, and issued her instructions to Dinah, Chesh, 'Dee, and 'Dum. "See him? He stole my food, so go capture him!" Her words clear as her silver eyes, Dinah was the first to take off, followed by Chesh and his pack. 'Dee and 'Dum, who both lacked agility and speed, trudged along after the group. Meanwhile, Ruby had started the chase herself, vowing in her heart to not let this rare Beowolf get away from her, not without one hell of a chase however.

The white Beowolf was quick, despite it seeming so young. Despite their immense speed, both Ruby and Dinah were having trouble catching up to and keeping up with the White Beowolf at times. It seemed to have rather well developed hind legs, as it was clearing meters with single leaps from the ground, making Ruby think for a second that she was chasing a rabbit and not a wolf. But she thought that made it more cute, and useful, and made her want it even more. Her competitive nature was taking over, and an impish grin was spreading across her face. She enjoyed chasing this Beowolf, and she would be damned if she were to let it get away.

After a chase of what seemed like fifteen or so minutes, Ruby began to grow a little tired. But she knew her chance was coming up, so she kept along, using her Aura to keep her energy up and prevent th tiredness from overtaking her as best as possible. Were it Yang, Blake, or especially Weiss here, none of them would have been able to keep such a chase going on for as long as she had, especially at such speeds. No, they and any normal hunter would have already collapsed from exhaustion. This sort of monstrous stamina was one of the reasons that Ruby had always been so adept at hunting, no prey could outrun or outfight her. Perks of being born as quite literally the closest thing to a speed demon ever. But about the chance coming up, Ruby had traveled around this area for a while, and she knew that ahead was a large sinkhole, often reffered to as the 'Abyss' by those who lived in the area.. The Abyss was rather wide in the direction they were headed, so she knew the Beowolf would be unable to cross it in any way. While it was turning to go around, she'd be able to catch it, no problem.

"Heh. You're mine little wolfy~"

Crossing tree after tree, Ruby began to see the light ahead, signifying that her run through the forest was nearing it's end. Grinning madly at the prospect of gaining such a new pet, Ruby sped herself up more, prompting Dinah to try and keep up. Chesh, 'Dee, 'Dum, and the rest had already fallen behind, and Ruby simply assumed they would regroup and wait for her back where they'd made camp. For now, Dinah would be all that she needed anyhow. Dashing out of the trees, Ruby was greeted by the sight of an Abyss so massive that any attempt to measure it would be fruitless. And running towards that Abyss was still her Beowolf. Right as she'd expected the Beowolf to turn around and avoid the Abyss, Ruby was caught off guard when the Beowolf jumped straight into the Abyss, not even considering going around.

"What? Wolfy no!"

Seeing this, Ruby thought of nothing else expect getting that Beowolf. Without hesitating, despite it's immense size and the intimidating aura it gave that would scare off a normal human or faunus, Ruby jumped straight into the hole, following the Beowolf. As she barreled into the darkness, the only thing her eyes could follow was the Beowolf, who due to the growing shadows was quickly becoming less visible. Pulling out Crescent Rose, Ruby loaded a special magazine into the gun comprised of some bullets she rarely used. Taking careful aim, Ruby fired at the Beowolf, hitting pay dirt as she heard a slight yelp, indicating that her shot had hit it's mark. The bullets in question were specialized rounds used for tracking. Upon hitting their target, the bullet released a chemical that reacted with the surrounding air to release a heavy, viscous, neon white liquid that could easily be tracked, even in the dark. The bullet's effect would last for about an hour or so, giving Ruby ample time to stalk her prey.

After falling for about a minute, Ruby began to feel a slight bit off. Looking around, the darkness was growing ever more bright, the surroundings becoming more and more visible as she fell. She thought it was odd, but made no more attempt to understand it, as below her, something was coming into view. It seemed like... grass? What the hell? Grass, or rather any photosynthetic plant that existed, could not grow naturally so far away from sunlight. So what the hell was it doing so far below the surface? And for that matter, why could she see it so clearly?! With the ground fast approaching, Ruby didn;t have any more time to question. Switching magazines to her normal rounds, Ruby pointed her sweetheart towards the ground and fired several times in quick succession. Her descent only slowed so much by the recoil, Ruby needed a way to slow her descent even further. Pointing Crescent Rose in front of her, Ruby fired, sending herself flying backwards and into the nearby wall. Firing once more, she used the recoil to spin Crescent Rose around midair and plant the blade into the sides of the wall, hoping to slow herself down enough to land safely. It worked, as her falling speed slowed greatly. Just above her, Dinah did roughly the same; her left fore claw gouging out a large path through the earth while her lower body clung to the wall for dear life, looking like she was simply sliding down the wall. But with Ruby, the ground was still approaching, albeit much slower now. Removing Crescent Rose from the wall, Ruby fell the remaining few meters, augmenting the strength of her legs with her Aura, and dropped onto the ground in a perfect three point landing. Behind her, Dinah also dropped with a dull thud, landing near Ruby's right flank.

"Damn, that was unpleasant. Fucking Beowolf, he'd better not make this any worse on himself," Ruby said with a slight growl in her voice. The rough trek she'd gone through chasing it had begun to grind on her, and it was showing. A slight pant in her breath, and a few beads of sweat rolling down her forehead proved that even the so-called near limitless reserves of energy that Ruby held were finite in the end. Fingering the collars at her belt, Ruby through of how she was going to constrict the damn thing until it's breath came out quick, shallow, and finally not at all. Or rather, she would stop just barely before it went that far.

Letting the red fade from her vision, Ruby collected herself and took a look around and was astonished. Where she'd landed defied all of her logic, as it seemed to her to be some sort of grassy field. But that shouldn't be possible, right? Looking back up, Ruby saw the hole that she'd fallen through, but not the light from the world above her. And yet, around her it was still bright as day, even growing green plants such as grass all around in abundance. It was completely nonsensical. It was also breathtakingly beautiful. Peaceful, untouched by humans. It was simply... simply Wondrous.

"Wow."

Taking a few steps forward, Ruby heard a crunch, and looked down at her feet. Lifting up her boot, she saw what appeared to be a golden pocket watch, connected to a nice, beautiful golden chain. But it was broken. Taking a closer look, Ruby noted that it appeared to have been broken before she'd stepped on it, evident by the corrosion occurring within the small metal fragments, as well as the dirt in between the glass and the watch's hands. Looking around more on the ground, Ruby began to notice white objects here and there, mostly cylindrical, and all being rather organic in shape. Walking over to a round one, Ruby picked it up, and gave a slight gasp, noting that it was a skull. These were bones, remains of people who'd apparently come through here before. Was it a feeding ground for that White Beowolf? But that just meant it was more ruthless than Ruby had imagined, and this again made her mouth breakout into that silly, childlike grin. Disregarding that it was once a person, Ruby dropped the skull back on the ground, letting it land with a soft, muted thud. Placing her boot on the cranium, Ruby stomped her foot down, crushing the skull into slivers and pieces, grinding what ended up beneath her foot to dust.

"Heheh. I'm so going to love this little wolfy, now aren't I?"

Proceeding through the grassy field, Ruby looked around for any sign of her new pet, eventually finding a few spots of bright white on the ground. Examining the area around them a little closer, she found a trail leading away from the area in which she dropped, and began to follow it. She didn't care how deep she had to go, she would find this Beowolf and drag it back out if she needed to; by hook or by crook she would recruit this damn Grimm. Following the glowing white trail of dots for a while, Ruby was surprised as she came to what appeared to be an old an decrepit door. The door was rotten, though it seemed to still be steadfast and strong. The only indication that the Beowolf may have passed through here was that the white trail seemed to go under the door, so Ruby knew she had to find a way through. The door was heavy, so it didn't seem like breaking it down would be easy.

"Well, I guess I'll have to use the 'master key', huh?" Grabbing Crescent Rose, still folded into it's gun form, from her back, she shot out the rusted locks on the doors, as well as the hinges around them. Confirming they were all blown off, Ruby again sheathed her precious weapon. With a little bit of effort, she managed to kick the heavy iron and wood doors down. Walking through the rotted wooden frame, Ruby encountered an odd scene. It looked like an abandoned mine shaft, but the entire place was flooded. Despite her reluctance to get wet, she could see in the murky liquid indications that the Beowolf had passed through, and sucking it up and began to walk into the water. Swimming through for some time, Ruby was beginning to regret her decision when she bumped into something that caught her attention. Stopping for a minute, she picked up what she had swum into, and found that she was holding up a mouse. Glancing around, she found more of their corpses, numerous and rotting, filling the water surrounding her. Without any more thought, she immediately began to swim with all due haste towards the direction the trail led. After bursting out from what seemed like an exit, she saw a nearby bank, and hopped up onto it as quickly as she could.

"Eww, eww, eww! Disgusting. Uwahh." Slightly perturbed by the rodents, Ruby gave herself a few minutes to calm down, and then worry on following her pet, wet clothes be damned. Following the trail she just picked up on, Ruby moved on, walking for what seemed like an endless eternity, but was likely just a few minutes. Strange, her sense of time seems to be dulling, and yet she felt perfectly fine. Even so, she didn't care, thinking only of her prize at the end. After quite a bit of trudging, Ruby eventually came upon what looked like a forest, rife with odd colors and flora that she had never seen before. What stood out the most to her was a rather large, misshapen blue mushroom, polka dotted with all manner of colors. But upon a closer inspection, the colors turned out to be an assortment of dead caterpillars and insects, a sight that made Ruby's skin crawl. Ignoring the mushroom, Ruby just continued to follow the trail left by the Beowolf, lamenting all the while that time was beginning to run out.

Moving through the jungle with the necessary haste, Ruby spotted a mass of white in the distance. Inching closer, she could see that it was her Beowolf! He seemed to be eating the food that he'd stolen from her earlier. Littered around him was a a few cards, or so it appeared to Ruby. In fact, it looked like someone had a deck or two of playing cards around the area, which strangely resembled a courtroom. This just kept getting weirder and weirder to Ruby. Nothing had made since since she'd come down this damn hole. The grass, the bones, the drowned rat corpses, the mushroom, none of it! And on top of it all, a freaking white Beowolf! But finally Ruby was about to grasp her prize. Slowly creeping up behind the Beowolf, Ruby inched closer and closer, all while remaining quiet, allowing the Beowolf to focus on the meal in front of it. Finally, no more than a foot away, Ruby quickly grabbed the back of the Beowolf's neck, causing it to quickly snap it's head up.

"Caught ya." But quicker than she anticipated, the Beowolf, spun around to face her and back stepped, putting distance between itself, and Ruby and Dinah. "Oh, there's no need to run. I just wanna-" but Ruby never finished her sentence, as something on her hand had caught her attention. Bringing it closer to her face, Ruby found her hand was coated in a white dust. In fact, it actually seemed to be powdered White Dust. On the back of the Beowolf's neck, where Ruby had gripped him, she could see a slightly darker tuft of fur. Wait, the Beowolf wasn't a white Beowolf? It was just a Beowolf covered in Dust?!

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Ruby was pissed, and rightfully so. The prize she had just chased all this way turned out to be a fake. Angry as all hell, all Ruby wanted right now was to kill something. "Dinah!" she barked. "Off with his head!" And Dinah, faithful to Ruby, was only happy to oblige, taking the head of the Beowolf in an instant. In that instant, it's speed was meaningless, it's agility was useless. It was caught unawares, and beheaded with prejudice. Tired from all of this, Ruby decided to hell with it all, she was going to take a nap. Leaning up against what appeared to be a marble podium, she put her hood up, and nodded off.

* * *

Opening her eyes after her rest, Ruby saw her Grimm. Wait, what? Sitting up, all Ruby could see while looking around were her Grimm, her campsite, and her stuff. Where was the court looking place? Why weren't her clothes still wet? Where was the fake white Beowolf? After a few seconds of wondering, Ruby came to the conclusion that it was a dream. It had to be a dream. No way anything that fantastic or wonderful was real.

"But he still would have been a nice addition. Geez, I even had a name for him. Damnit, Peter."

* * *

***AfterWord***

**Yeah, like I said, this was a chapter that I had written up a while back, unsure whether or not to actually post it. It was a gag chapter, meant to reference Alice in Wonderland just for the shits and giggles. Anyone familiar with the book, or even anything that references it, should be able to understand most of the references in this little side story. By the way, the name Peter for the Beowolf was a reference to Peter White, from Heart no Kuni no Alice. As I liked that manga, it partially inspired the name for what would have been Ruby's "White Rabbit."**

**Anyhow, like I said before, seeing as how this was a dream, you can probably think of it as canon to this story. It likely won't be referenced at all later, so it's entirely up to you as to how you view it. Just remember, this is a placeholder chapter because the new one is still being decided on, and written. By the way, the current score for that is as follows (this is taking into account all PM's and comments, but I'm still in the deciding/voting phase for now) Ruby-7; Jaune/Pyrrha-7; Would-Be Assassins-5; Yang/Ozpin-2. So far, it seems I'll have to either write an extended chapter and add both Ruby and Jaune/Pyrrha in there, or write two separate chapters for them. Either way, I'm good. I'll likely start the next chapter in a couple of days, so vote away until then I suppose.**

**Anyhow, again, sorry if this kind of chapter wasn't to your liking. It wasn't an arc, nor did it really advance the storyline or anything. It was a little joke chapter written a few nights ago out of sheer boredom that I am using to act as a placeholder, or rather just to be something new while I deal with the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and if not, let me know in the comments. Thanks. Aside from that, comments, criticisms, concerns. Questions too if you can. I welcome them all. Have a good night, and remember not to drink anything from a suspicious bottle labeled 'Drink Me.'**


	8. Riddles and Tea

"Dinah, heel!" Immediately the huge Beowolf ceased it's assault, not killing it's would-be victim. Instead, the Beowolf came to sit at the foot of it's master, whom those present could only describe as a young girl, clad in pitch black and crimson red, looking for all purposes like the Grim Reaper.

"How did it all come to this?"

How indeed? Now, let's go back to a little bit earlier this day...

* * *

"Come on 'Dee, 'Dum! You two are so slow. We're supposed to be looking for new Grimm to recruit, meanwhile you're being so slow!" Ruby was starting to lose her patience. Of course 'Dee and 'Dum were amazing assets in terms of fighting prowess, their immense bodies and innumerable bony plates made them into the epitome of tanks; a solid and heavy foundation combined with enough muscles to drag down a Bullhead without the need for aura. "If only they weren't so damn slow," Ruby caught herself mumbling. Of course they were slow. Anything of their size would have trouble moving, and nothing would likely change that. And if anything, she kinda did force them to serve her using, well, _force_. She couldn't expect them to be perfectly able to keep up with her immediately. Realizing her own folly, Ruby simply sighed, and decided to take five for a quick break.

Finding a nice tree, Ruby swiftly climbed up and onto the nearest branch, which grew easily a good half a dozen meters off of the ground. But for someone as nimble and agile as she was, this wasn't really much of a challenge. Leaning back and allowing herself to rest for a bit, Ruby began to contemplate a few things. Namely, her stance on people. By people, of course Ruby was thinking about humans and faunus. Her '_circumstances_' have given her a certain mistrust of the two races, believing both were wholly irredeemable if they were capable of such atrocious acts. But she also thought about those who were entirely innocent, those who had no idea that these acts had been committed. And what of those who would have helped her? Ruby was the type who if she had seen it happening, would have gladly stepped in and aided someone who'd have been in her shoes. But how many people were like her? How many were that kind? These questions were buzzing around in her head, and so many more. Just like the hunter she'd killed a couple of weeks ago, there were also the scummy types that society was better off without. With her plans for revenge, how many of those would she be able to rid the world of? And in turn, how many of the innocent would it cost her to do so? And considering the possible good that they could do as hunters, how many more would in the future suffer without their being there?

"No. I can't let that stop me. Those... those _bastards_. They've already crossed the moral horizon, believing that they've killed me successfully. Then again, who am I to speak, really?"

Yes, Ruby was reminded of what she'd done to that hunter, and it was something that still haunted her, even if only slightly. He was scum, he was dirt. He was less than human, barely comparable to a cockroach, and yet she had felt something after killing him. It wasn't satisfaction, nor relief, nor was it even a slight bit of happiness. It was guilt, plain and simple. Even if he was a sick bastard, one undeserving of any sympathy, he may still have had a family, friends, who cared for him, cherished him, treasured him.

Like _they_ once treasured _her._

"ARGH! This pisses me off!" Suddenly shouting, Ruby heard some rustling below, as all of her Grimm congregated beneath her, believing there to be some sort of trouble. Her little outburst had gotten their attention and had put them on alert. With yet another sigh, Ruby realized how childish her lashing out was. But this really was a dilemma to her. How to separate the horrible and scummy people from the blameless? She had to figure this out if she was going to exact her revenge, so as to not hurt anyone undeserving of it. And this alone was taxing her mind. With her mental exhaustion coming to a rather annoying peak, Ruby decided that instead of thinking on it any more, she would take a quick nap and let the buzzing thoughts in her mind disperse. Leaning back, closing her eyes, and setting her hood atop her dainty little head, Ruby settled in for sleep.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Ruby could feel that something was odd. Glancing up at the sky and using the sun's position, Ruby determined that she'd only slept maybe a couple of hours or so. But looking down, she saw that not a single one of her pack was present, an odd and yet disturbing fact.

"Dinah!" Ruby shouted the name of her closest family, feeling lost without her. Hopping down from the tree, Ruby tried calling to the others. "Chesh!" Silence. "'Dee!" Nothing. "'Dum?!" And yet her voice was still met with only silence. As she was about to give up, she heard something. Cries. Human cries. And growls. Without hesitation, Ruby ran at full speed towards the commotion, only to find her pack and several people, all seeming at odds.

"Dinah, Chesh, 'Dee, 'Dum! Stop this instant. Stop right now!" One by one, her Grimm obeyed, eventually all coming to stand at their master's side again. With all of her Grimm now at her back, Ruby decided to take a look at the humans and faunus who they had been about to get into a scrape with. The first thing she noted was the young ages of each, none seeming to be out of their teens yet. Furthermore, none of them were even armed. They seemed to be scavengers, looking for fruits, vegetables, and herbs, made evident by the baskets and satchels they carried. This annoyed Ruby, as she'd been careful to avoid letting her pack hunt innocent humans and faunus as much as possible, only hunting animals and the like. "Seriously guys? I thought I told you 'No hunting people', didn't I? Seriously, they're not bad people damnit! They're just looking for food."

While Ruby screamed her head off at her Grimm subordinates, the confused group of humans and faunus could only look on, stunned, at what was taking place. A small girl, barely up to chest height compared to some of them, was commanding nearly a dozen Grimm, all easily two or three times her own size, especially the Beowolf who looked like it could probably kill the entire group there if it wanted. And yet all of them, even the two tank sized Ursai in the back, seemed to be at her beck and call. What the ever loving Dust was going here? All of them asked that same question, and yet none of them could answer it.

"Uhm, excuse me? Uhm, Miss...?" Looking over at the one who began to initiate a conversation, Ruby took in his features. He didn't seem too big. He was rather scrawny, almost like... like Jaune. A fact that kind of hit Ruby a little close to home. But taking in more of his features, he didn't have much else in common with Vomit Boy. His red hair was rather unkempt, and his amber colored eyes betrayed a lazy personality, evident by his worn and ruffled attire. It was, for lack of a better way to put it, the appearance of a messy person.

"Huh? Oh, sorry for that. Hi, I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose"

"Okay Miss... err, Ruby. Why are there a bunch of large, scary Grimm following you around and acting like your pets?"

"Oh, sorry about them. They must have been hungry. As for that, well I sort of tamed them, I guess? Well, Dinah here saved me, and I tamed the others really."

"Dinah?"

"Yeah, this is Dinah," Ruby said, indicating the largest Beowolf in her group. And in order, she began to name off the others. "This is Chesh and his pack, this one here is 'Dee, and this last Ursa is 'Dum."

"Y-you named the Grimm?"

"Yup."

"Holy shit."

"So, where do you guys come from?"

"Oh, well were from a nearby little town. We all live in an orphanage, so we often go out and look for fruits and vegetables to help out with the food situation. And Hanna here," he mentioned, indicating one of the smaller girls in the group. The little girl seemed to be a dog-type faunus, as on top of her blonde colored hair seemed to be a pair of canine ears. "Well, she's rather knowledgeable about plants, so we bring her out with us to look for medical plants and cooking herbs. What about you? You don't seem to be from around here."

"Me? Oh uh, I come from, uhm... Mistral. Yeah, I became a huntress, so I came around here looking for some work. Know of any place with Grimm issues?"

"No, not really. This is a rather peaceful area. Hardly any Grimm attacks to speak of really."

Shit.

"Okay, well I suppose that sucks then. Sorry to have bothered you, and I'm especially sorry for these guys. I'll make sure to punish them later."

"Wait!" As she turned to leave, Ruby looked back at the boy once again, a questioning look in her eyes. "Well, if you have nowhere to spend the night, why don't you stay with us?" At the mention of this kind offer, his seven companions all agreed and nodded their heads. Some of them looked a little afraid, but they all looked more... excited? They were happy about her joining them? "We managed to find quite a bit this time, so we were planning to have a little feast tonight anyhow. We would like if you joined us."

"Uhh..." Ruby was genuinely stunned, unable to give an immediate answer due to the offer having completely caught her off guard. "Well, I uhm... Right, I still have to look after them."

"I'm sure they can survive in the forest by themselves for the night, right?"

"Uhh, that's true."

"Come on, join us. We'd be delighted." With this invitation, the boy stretched out his hand, offering it to Ruby. Looking at the hand, Ruby hesitated, wondering if it was alright for her to accept his offer. Right as she was trying to convince herself it might not be so bad, her stomach emitted a rather loud growl. Blushing furiously, Ruby quickly hid her face in her hood. "Uh, I guess that answers it for me, huh?"

* * *

Ruby's first impression of the orphanage in which they lived was that it was truly beautiful to her. Not that so many other children were forced to live without their own families in this place, but that rather it truly showed her the kind of hope that she was thinking that people had before. Standing in front of the building, it didn't seem all too impressive from the outside. It seemed like a converted cathedral from which some old religion had long since left. In their place though, it seemed these children, and some nice people who'd seen to taking care of them, took their place. Stepping inside, the group was immediately besieged by about a dozen or so wiast high toddlers.

"Yay! Ewif's back!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down guys. You're going to trample me here." Looking over at and noting Ruby's confused look, the red haired boy who'd invited her, Ewif it seemed, decided to explain. "Ahh right, I never really introduced myself, huh? Sorry about that. Well, nice to meet you Ruby. My name is Erif. Erif D'Loc. If you're wondering why I have such a weird name, my birth parents gave it to me because my red hair plus my yellow-ish eyes reminded them of fire. See, Erif is basically fire spelled backwards." Oh, that kinda makes sense.

"So, Erif. It seems that these kids all like you, huh?"

"Well, I guess so. I've been here the longest, and I am the oldest."

"Really?" This piqued Ruby's curiosity, as she never would have pegged him as the oldest one in the group. Sure, he did seem more mature than some of them, but his height was definitely not the greatest. If anything, his height was maybe an inch or so shy of Jaune, and definitely an inch or two shorter than a couple of the others Ruby saw out there.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I'm not that tall for being a guy, even though I'm seventeen years old right now. But just you watch, I'll get another growth spurt eventually. Hopefully." It seemed to be a bit of a sore spot for him, so Ruby made a mental note to try and never bring it up again if she could avoid it.

Hey, Ruby," Erif began, as he noticed Ruby removing her Grimm Plate Armor. Well, the word armor is used, despite Ruby only having made a pair of gauntlets and greaves for herself. "Those are pretty damn amazing, where'd you get them?"

"Oh, these? I kind of made them from some Ursa that attacked me a while ago. They're good for when I need some help defending myself." And to emphasize her point, Ruby took one of the dozen knives she had strapped around the inside of her cape, and took a stab at the gauntlets and greaves, both of which came away unscratched. Seeing the look of amazement in Erif's eyes, Ruby gave a slight blush, and explained how she was trained in arms smithing, a fact that really impressed him.

"That dress, what is it made out of?"

"This? Uh, Ursa leather...?"

"Yeah... that can't be too good. Here, wait just a minute." With this, Erif left Ruby alone for a few minutes, returning later with an armful of clothes. "We have some spare clothes in the donations room, and I remembered seeing this one black dress similar to yours. Well, it was more like a skirt." Grabbing where the shoulders would be, Erif held up a black tee shirt, and a black combat skirt with red lacing.

"Wow. Wait, would they even fit me?"

"Go ahead and try them on for yourself. Bathroom is down the hall, third door on the right." Accepting his generosity, Ruby went and tried the new clothes on, pleased to find they were a good match, albeit the skirt was maybe one size too big. But that was nothing an adjustment on her belt couldn't fix. As such, the skirt came down to roughly her knees, and still allowed her some good movement. She loved it. Returning to Erif, she thanked him for the clothes.

After that, the rest of the night passed rather peacefully to Ruby. After a dinner prepared by the adults, a few of the children, and Erif, they spent some time playing with the younger children. After reading a few some bedtime stories, a memory that Ruby reflected on would hopefully be as precious to them as hers was, Ruby graciously accepted a bed in one of the extra rooms, and settled down for the night. For Ruby, this was a nice change, sleeping in a bed again, feeling the warmth of belonging, and of being wanted. Settling in, finding a comfortable position, and allowing her head to sink into the nice and soft pillow, Ruby drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"What's this?"

In the middle of the night, a sudden feeling came over Ruby and she immediately woke up. There was some faint grunting in the background, and some shouting. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it couldn't be good. And almost as if to confirm her suspicions a knock resounded at her door. No, it was more like a frantic banging.

"Ruby? Ruby!" It was Erif. But why did he sound so panicked? "Ruby, get up, hurry! The town is under attack by bandits!

"What?" Hopping out of bed, slipping the skirt on over her shorts, and throwing on her cape, Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose from where it lay beside her and dashed to the door, coming face to face with a worried looking Erif.

"Thank goodness you're okay. We have to hurry and evacuate everyone to safety. There are bandits tearing up the town, looting and killing everything in their way."

Figures. That just figures. Right when Ruby finds some sense of peace, some tiny bit of happiness, some feeling of joy, this happens. And it pissed her off. So much so that Ruby was ready to just jump into the fray and kill as many of these bastards as she could.

Kill. The moral event horizon that no person should ever have to cross. Neither human, nor faunus. The act that kills one's soul, deadening what makes them human, extinguishing the light and raising the darkness. An act one should never perform, but that she already had. The moral line that nobody should have to cross, Ruby already had. So if she had to, she would cross it yet again, but not yet for her vengeance, rather to protect the way of life for these kids. Kids not much older than herself, kids younger than herself, kids struggling to make a place for themselves in such an unforgiving world. And yet...

"Please Ruby, let's go and get the others. I want everyone to get out to safety."

She could not go off and kill the bandits while she had to protect Erif, the children, and the caretakers. Ruby swore to herself that she would not allow harm to become them, and that she would stay with them and protect them if possible. Going with Erif, she helped him rouse and gather the fourteen other orphans, and the six adults, and rushed with them out of the back. Leaving, she could see the town behind her, fires starting here and there from where these miscreants had seen to create chaos. The grunts and shouting that she had heard inside grew louder, mixed in with the sounds of clashing metal, the smell of rust and blood, and the cries of the dying. It was horrible. Truly it was.

Making their way along back paths, the orphans and the adults moved quickly, all while Ruby lead the way, hoping to prevent any possible casualties on her side. But she knew it would be tough by herself. She groped inside of the bag on her waist, hoping to find what she had stuffed into the little pack earlier. The very item that she had spent her time carefully crafting and working on. And as she searched, her hands eventually came upon it. Erif watched curiously as Ruby pulled from her pouch a small cylinder. The cylinder in question was white, with red markings similar to those of a Grimm. But one side was hollow, and the other was flattened, with a small cut being in between them. It seemed to be a whistle. Ruby put the whistle to her lips and blew, and yet barely a faint sound was heard coming from it.

"What was that for?"

"It's a whistle I made. I used it to call Dinah and the others. I'm going to need their help to get you guys out safely."

"Dinah and the others? Wait, you mean that humungous freaking Beowolf?!" And right now, he was scared, and rightfully so. Dinah was several meters tall, and possessed the power to quite literally slaughter an entire town with impunity. Forget a normal person, even trained hunters would be hard pressed simply to survive her without having at least two teams worth of backup.

"Hey, Dinah is not that bad. Besides, I'd feel a lot safer with her here than not here. I mean, having a humongous Beowolf protecting you sounds kinda cool, right?" Ruby said while flashing a wicked grin. It seemed she had somewhat reverted to her childish ways, and her thoughts of how awesome Beowolves were.

"Ugh, fair enough. So, just keep running still?"

"How about you kids just stop, and die?"

"Eh?"

From her front, a tall man man covered head to toe in black robes and wrappings stepped out in front of Ruby, blocking her path. Stopping, Ruby and the group looked around, looking for another path when more of them showed up, slowly surrounding the group.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Some children, a couple of old farts... Oh, and a few cuties. Looks like we're getting lucky tonight boys, whew!"

"I'm sorry mister, but are you robbing me?"

"Why, yes. Yes I am."

"Oh." Emphasizing her dull response was the metallic clinking and whirring of Ruby's Crescent Rose as it grew to it's full scythe form. "I figured that was what you'd planned." Showing off a bit, Ruby spun Crescent Rose about her person as though it were a baton, and not some seven foot something tool of death, eventually sticking it business end into the ground facing the bandit in front of her..

"Ruby, wha-?"

"Sorry Erif. Erif, this is my sweetheart, Crescent Rose. She's kinda half scythe, half high impact sniper rifle. Please don't be afraid."

"Ruby, that is seriously friggen awesome."

Meanwhile, the bandits seemed to have a different opinion, especially with Crescent Rose aiming for them.

"Oh fuck, what in the hell is that thing?! Is she a huntress?"

"It doesn't matter. Kill all of the old guys and capture the kinds, her especially. If we can train her, a huntress would be a good tool." The guys saying so, a small and weak looking thief by any standards, jumped at Ruby, intending to cut her with the daggers he wielding in each hand. Unfortunately for him, Ruby was faster, and less inclined to let him live.

"Erif, please cover the children's eyes. I don't want them seeing this. Or you, for that matter."

"Ruby, what are you-?"

Before he could finish, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out, and spun her viciously at the incoming bandit. Unfortunately for him, her accuracy was deadly, her abilities were as sharp as her weapon, and her pity was almost non-existent. In one swift arc, Ruby had severed the man's right arm, and in another swung Crescent Rose into his face, smashing into him with the non-lethal edge, sending him flying away. Sparing a second to glance at Erif, she could tell that what she was just forced to do definitely disgusted him, and she likely knew that she would be hated or feared for such an action. But to protect him, and the others, she would be willing to do it.

"Johnny! Grr, you bitch. To hell with using you, we'll just fucking kill you!" Before he could move a step however, a loud roar resounded behind him, and when he tuned, he truly wished that he hadn't. Behind him stood one immense Beowolf, a slightly smaller Beowolf, about nine other Beowolves, and two Ursa large enough to have their own zip codes. All were looking at him with eyes that truly showed him the depths of an abyss. "Oh f-f-fuck."

"Dinah! Chesh, 'Dee, 'Dum! Get rid of these bandits, now! Help me protect these kids. And help take care of the other bandits in the village. Anyone dressed like them, looks like them, act like them. If they're threatening to hurt an innocent person, _get rid of them!_" All at once, her small army of Grimm obeyed. Chesh and his pack quickly took to the rooftops, using their superior agility and hunting experience, and began to look for more of the bandits. 'Dee and 'Dum charged right at the bandit, forcing him to duck out of the way while they flanked either side of Ruby's party. Dinah simply walked slowly through, eyeing the bandit the whole while, ready to rip his throat out. "Dinah, heel!" At once, the insanely huge Beowolf trudged over to Ruby, sitting itself beside it's master.

"How did it all come to this?"

"Well, you attacked the wrong town."

"Yeah, a town harboring the Grimm fucking Reaper and her little hounds of Hell!"

"I have a neat little question for you, Mister Bandit. Get it right, and I may let you and your buddies live. What do you say?"

"W-w-well, what is the question?"

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

"Huh?"

"I said 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?'"

"Uhh... both make flat notes?"

"Ooh, so close. But wrong. Kill 'em guys."

"What the fuck?! Don't screw with me you bitch!"

"Well, to be honest, there really was no answer to that riddle. I was going to kill you regardless for attacking these guys."

And for possibly the first time in a long time, maybe even in his entire life, this bandit, this man, truly knew fear. What he had attacked, who he had attacked. She went beyond all common sense, defying what was normal. Never before had he seen such a small girl, dressed like a goth wearing a red hood, not only dominate Grimm of this caliber before, but also direct them like this. To him, the sight of this young, beautiful girl and her small guard of Grimm seemed almost like...

"The mad Red Queen."

"Hmm, I like that. The Red Queen. Sounds kinda cool, like I'm royalty or something. Red Queen, Red Queen. I'm the Red Queen of Grimm~!" Ruby began to say in a sing song voice. Truly, to any present, it was a terrifying and baffling scene. That one so young, so innocent looking, and adorable could be such a cold hearted monster. Then again, she was a monster crafted by human and faunus hands.

"Now," Ruby said, raising her hand and giving off a loud snap,"hunt."

* * *

In the aftermath of the bandit's attack on the town, rumors began to circulate of Beowolves who had taken out most of the bandits. The rumors seemed further backed up by the claw marks left on some of the bodies, atrocious wounds that seemed to be done by wild beasts rather than any man made weapon. Nobody knew where they had come from, or even why they had helped them out. Nobody but six kind adults, fourteen innocent orphans, and a small girl, clad in black and crimson.

"So, you're leaving Ruby?" On the edge of the town, Erif and Ruby were discussing what Ruby was planning for later. After having walked with her to the forest, he handed her a bag full of useful supplies, including food, some actual needles and thread, and a few other small things he thought would be necessary. She tried to refuse, but he kept pressing her until she gave in.

"Yeah. After last night, I doubt many people would want me sticking around. I mean, you saw how easily I killed those guys."

"But you didn't kill them Ruby! It was the Grimm! And those weren't 'guys'. That implies that they were people, those filthy monsters..."

"No, Erif. They were people. They may have had families and reasons we couldn't have known. They could laugh, and they could cry. And just like us, they could bleed red," and the way Ruby said this, so chillingly devoid of emotion, made Erif shiver if only slightly. Her words brought up vivid memories of the previous night, and what fate had befallen the bandits who had attacked them. Walking away from the village, Ruby made it several meters before she turned back to say one final thing. "Oh, and Erif? You're wrong. It was me who killed them."

"Even so, we still like you Ruby. I like you. So maybe when your journey is over, you can...?"

"Maybe." And she left, eventually going far enough that the forest swallowed her, assimilating her into it's deepest shadows. As the town faded from her view, she whispered out the words she could not bring herself to say to Erif when she left.

"And maybe not."

And slowly, one by one, her guard fell behind her, again following their master wherever she should lead. To the next one she aimed to recruit. To the next land she aimed to hunt for her companions.

To the Grim fate that awaited her, and those that wronged her.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Sorry, but no new Grimm this time. That will be later, and I have a few ideas about what to do next, and in which order I shall have them recruited. As my thoughts are still in the organization stage, I will accept any suggestions that may work in the acquisition of new pawns, knights, bishops, and rooks for Ruby. Also, I should mention that there is both a deck of cards theme, and a chess theme here, similar to how Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass each held these different themes.**

**Other than that, this chapter kind wore me down. Took me a while to figure out how to write this chapter, as most of my previous ones had me flit between different perspectives. This one truly forced me to work to get enough content in for a single, nicely sized chapter about Ruby and only Ruby. **

**To explain some things:**

**First, yeah, I created a character who I didn't end up killing. Somehow, I didn't want to kill the guy, especially after having him be the only guy who was nice to Ruby for, what? Like six or seven chapters now? I gave him a break, and he better damn well appreciate it. And before it's brought up, I know, Ruby's attitude keeps changing. When she killed the hunter from before, she thought of him as trash and acted cold and uncaring. Now, she's thinking about the bad aspects of what she's done, acting like a child again, and back to the cold and heartless killing thing. For now, Ruby isn't totally dark, nor is she good. Hints of her old kindness and childishness pop back up because I want to stress that this Ruby is still Ruby. She's not the cold bastard we all know and expect someone like Roman to be. No, she's a fifteen year old girl with serious friendship issues and a really awesome pet Beowolf (or dozen, give or take.)**

**Anyhow, I guess the usual routine stands. Anything you'd like for me to answer, just ask away in the comments section. Otherwise, comments, criticisms, and concerns. Have a good day, sleep well, and enjoy the story. See you next time.**


	9. Arc of the Yellow Rose

It was an early morning in Beacon, and as always the campus was bustling with activity. Students swarmed across the school's grounds trying to go here and there, all rushing to get nowhere, hurrying up only to find themselves waiting for something good to happen. Some took to the media center, hoping to utilize the academy's library resources, or the internet services to keep themselves entertained. Other spent their time in the gym, honing their bodies to their utmost physical conditioning and capabilities. And then there was the training facility, where those who desired were sharpening their skills, improving the abilities that led them to enter Beacon. In the training facility was currently one Jaune Arc and his training partner, Pyrrha Nikos. In the arena were only the two of them, bodies whirling around in a frenzy of sweat and steel. Swords collided with shields, parry's executed brilliantly, and a symphony of clashes provided the background music for their battle. After nearly half an hour of trading blows the fatigue was beginning to noticeably set in. Both decided to settle it as a tie and end their training there.

"Wow Jaune. You've gotten much since we started your training, but lately you've been improving so much quicker. Your growth is rather astounding. It's really amazing." And Pyrrha genuinely meat what she had said. Jaune's growth had improved by leaps and bounds as of late, and of course it was showing in his sparring sessions with Pyrrha.

"Hehe, thanks I guess. Ever since the thing happened to Ruby, I've just... I dunno. I guess I felt like I had to work harder than before. Work for both my own sake, and hers." Taking a long drink from his bottle of sports drink, Jaune didn't notice as Pyrrha slightly winced at the mention of the younger girl's name. It was a name for her that brought up a menagerie of emotions; jealousy, pride, sorrow, regret, anger, dislike, envy. Pyrrha did not know what she felt for Ruby, but whatever it was it could not have been good. Not with how she'd so readily agreed to do what she had done to Ruby. Something that, in order to not break these beautiful days of peace she was spending with Jaune, she hoped he would never find out. If he knew what she had done, the taboo that she had broken, the lines that she had so readily crossed, played hopscotch with, and then destroyed, he would doubtlessly be disgusted with her. So it was a secret that she, and her cohorts, all had decided to take to their very graves, a Grim and ironic thought considering the secret in question.

"Is- is that so? I'm so glad that she still has a positive effect on those of us left." Pyrrha was practically lying through her teeth, and anyone who was half good at reading people could tell that she was straining herself to say this. But outside, she showed a good poker face, one that did not betray her true thoughts and feelings, those she wore beneath the mask she had so carefully crafted since that fateful day. One to hide her darkest secret from those that would look upon her with scathing eyes, judge her for what she'd done. For what she'd felt was only rightly done. But her views were her own, nobody had to know them. Right?

"I know I shouldn't mention her right now, but I also feel that I shouldn't forget her. I can't forget her, I _won't_ forget her."

* * *

In the night, team JNPR was rather scattered. In the recent times, the four of them had been spending more times doing their own thing lately, and doing less activities as a group. Most nights you could find Jaune either in the gym, the training facility, or even at the smithery practicing skills he believed would be necessary for a hunter. Ren and Nora were content to stay in the room, often with Ren keeping Nora company just so that her feelings of loneliness from losing one of her closest friends wouldn't resurface. Even with his stoic attitude, Ren was not unaffected by Ruby's passing. Quite the opposite, he was also pretty torn up. He found her personality very endearing, and had often spent quite a bit of time tutoring her in place of her teammates, who you could generally find doing their own thing as well. As for Pyrrha, only Dust knew where she would end up going. It seemed some nights that she would disappear, or on others she would be training. On some she would be walking outside, on some she would be alone in the quiet and eerie library, sometimes even just lounging around in the team JNPR dorm room. But tonight she was in the training facility, alone. No Jaune, nobody from RWBY, CRDL, CFVY, her own team, or any of the other freshmen or even the upperclassman there. Just her, Miló, and Akoúo̱. They were all that she needed, as the only thing currently on her mind was the release of her now pent up frustrations.

Despite everyone's killing of Ruby to have finally been the catalyst she needed to get Jaune's attention and make him her own, all he did was talk or think about Ruby day or night. It pissed her off to know that even dead, Ruby was still getting what Pyrrha had wanted. Sure, she felt bad about what she'd done to Ruby, she'd felt utterly horrible for what she had done. She had broken an unspoken but sacred code that governed the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant, and it sickened her. Yet at the same time she felt pity and admirations towards the courageous and skillful young huntress she had slain, she also felt anger and resentment. She hated how Ruby had gotten attention. Every time they would train, Pyrrha could and would note everything wrong with Ruby's technique. A wasted movement here, a poorly chosen strike there. No matter what, she could always find fault with Ruby, faults that she believed were because Ruby did not put in nearly as much work as she had. A girl who used natural ability to get into Beacon and coasted, where Pyrrha herself had to train rigorously and hard for her skills? Unthinkable. For her to gain fame in such a short time period for defeating a petty criminal while Pyrrha herself earned her many accolades from defeating those who stood in her way was also unfair. Ruby got everything easy, and that just pissed Pyrrha off more.

Despite every last one of these thoughts being wrong, despite Pyrrha's thoughts of Ruby being some kind of prodigy who has never needed to practice being completely off the mark, she assumed and had convinced herself it was so she took it out, all of it out, on the dummies before her. Her anger, her jealousy, envy, every black thought she'd had about Ruby from the bottom of her heart, each bringing power to the strikes, slashes, and thrusts currently inflicted upon the training dummies.

"Dust damnit! Why the hell does it still infuriate me?!" Pyrrha shouted to nobody, acutely aware that she was the only person in the entire building, faunus or human. But she still felt like she had to shout, she had to let all of these thoughts and feelings welling up in her out. "Even though he's going out with me, why are his thoughts still on her? What is with this messed up scenario? What am I missing, what does she have, and why for the love of Dust do I not satisfy him?! This. Is. BULLSHIT!" That's right, another thing nagging at Pyrrha was how, despite her having gotten Jaune to finally go out with her, why Jaune was still so fixated on Ruby. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby! Damnit, why were his thoughts only of her? It was just one little girl! One little, insignificant, and pathetic girl! Having gone through her fiftieth or so training dummy, Pyrrha decided to give it a rest. It wasn't like Beacon had these things automatically made, and the mess would be quite a pain in the morning, especially with so many left destroyed and broken in her wake. Deciding to head back, Pyrrha seemed to whisper to the empty room.

"Just what is not good enough?"

* * *

Returning to an empty dorm, Jaune felt lethargic, tired. It had been this way for weeks now, ever since the news about Ruby had delivered. He remembered feeling like a zombie for a while. For a week, the thought of no more Ruby left him hollowed, a husk of his former weak self. But after he'd started dating Pyrrha, and things began to lighten up, he decided that he had to honor Ruby's memory. And he did it by deciding to improve himself. The young girl who, despite her age, managed to bring herself to a level that most would envy. Her skills in the smith on par with a master's, her knowledge of weaponry and battle tactics top tier even in Beacon. She inspired him even before she was gone, but afterwards something inside of him changed. He knew he had to do better, if only because he felt that it is what she wanted. And for her, he was more than glad to work himself to this state of exhaustion and tiredness every day, slowly becoming the hunter he thought would be able to stand side by side with her.

Grabbing some water, Jaune had slipped into a white tee-shirt and pair of red sweats, ready to go to sleep, when a tone beeped on his scroll. Opening it up, Jaune saw that he'd received a message, or rather a notification. Sighing, Jaune opened the little pop-up and confirmed what he'd suspected, that it was that NEWS app he'd just gotten, the Hunter's Newsletter. It kept him up to date with the latest information on things that Hunters could benefit from, and NEWS articles related to Grimm and such to keep them aware of what was happening in the world. Opening the message, it seemed that this one was a news article, but as he was going to put it down the title caught his attention.

'_Crowning of the Queen of Grimm'_

"What the hell?" Needless to say, Jaune was _very_ interested in what the article had to say, reading a title like that. "The Grimm... have a Queen? Wait, what?" Clicking the article's link, Jaune was brought to the newsletter's website, and on the screen appeared text, and several pictures of a small town littered with... corpses. Jaune quickly began to read the article.

'_Crowning the Queen of Grimm'_

'_Just recently, the small northern town of Gévaudan was affected by a large scale raid performed by a notorious tribe of bandits, the Dusted Daggers. Known for their horrifying history, this group of cutthroats had always left any place they decided to pillage in tatters, often deciding to prey upon smaller settlements that were more removed from the central law enforcement agencies. On the night of Friday the XX, the group seemed to have targeted Gévaudan as their next objective, but met an apparently gruesome fate._

_The group numbered several dozen, and held quite a lot of sway over the mountain bandits of the north. Known as one of the more dangerous groups, nobody, not even they, could likely have predicted what would happen that night. As shown in the photos presented in this article, several dozen of the bandits were brutally murdered, slaughtered by what seemed to be the work of beasts. While a few of the deceased were confirmed to have been killed by the town guard, these other deaths came as more of a surprise, as veteran hunters had gathered enough evidence to conclude that they were killed by Grimm, or rather Beowolves to be more exact. And eyewitness testimonies just make the case even more baffling._

"_We were just hiding in our house at the time of the attack," Sarah Peters, 17, mentions to one of our reporters. "Father had his gun trained on the door, praying that he wouldn't have to use it. Unfortunately, it seemed our luck was sour, as a loud bang began to resound throughout the house. After about a minute of this, something came crashing through the door. It was one of the men, and they had an axe on them. We were petrified, rooted to the spot. We thought we were dead when the men began to shout in surprise, and were suddenly thrown to the side. We stayed there, not even daring to move until much later when the noise had died down, and everything calmed. When I went outside to see what had happened, I saw the men who were at my door, dead. Torn apart."_

_This is only one of the many similar occurrences reported by the regular townsfolk. What the town guard had to say, however, left us stunned. _

"_The situation seemed hopeless at the time," John Woods, the guard captain, told us in an interview. "We were being beaten back fantastically, and it seemed we were going to lose. When all hope seemed lost to us, some great black and white beasts fell from the sky, and began to tear at the rogues. After a second of processing what was happening, we could tell that they were those creatures of Grimm. What's more is that none of them seemed to even bother my men, instead only targeting the bandits, seemingly bent on exterminating them with prejudice. Once all of the bandits had been taken out, they just up and left. Didn't even look at me or my men."_

_And lastly, this report from a surviving criminal truly sent a chill up our spines. To protect his privacy, we were asked to keep his name out of the papers._

"_We're just like your average man, trying to make a living. Sure we do ours a little differently, but it's all the same. Work to eat and survive. It was supposed to be a day like any other. A simple job. Get in, kill, loot, pillage, and get out. It had worked once, twice, dozens of times before! Why would tonight have been any different? But that was a bad assumption. We entered the town, no problems at all. At first it was all going too easily, but we didn't care. We were making our paycheck, so to speak. It wasn't until we found this group trying to run away that things really got bad. In the group was this little girl, dressed in a red hood. I don't know what she was, but she wasn't human. She was a fricken monster! We never saw her face properly, but that didn't matter. Halfway into mugging, a dozen Grimm showed up outta nowhere and ran to her side, and like some freaking animal tamer she began to pass out orders to them like icecream bars on a hot summer day. Before I knew it, we were left face to face with the largest Beowolf I'd ever seen, and two hulking masses of Ursa that could only be called tanks! Before she sic'ed 'em on us, she called herself something like 'The Red Queen of Grimm', or something. And with what she did, controlling them Grimm, I damn well believed her. That I'm even still alive..." Unfortunately, after we'd gone this far into the story, the criminal suddenly collapsed into a fit of what professionals say is similar to PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder._

_The ongoing investigation into these stories of this 'Red Queen', as well as follow up testimonies from other surviving criminals and villagers can be read here at..._

"Red cape... hood... Why, why am I thinking of Ruby when reading this? This obviously can't be real, there's no way Grimm would listen to a human normally." And even if they did, there's no way it would be possible for it to be Ruby. If the Grimm were shadows, then Ruby was a brightly burning star, one that shadows could not possible get near. It was inconceivable that she could control the Grimm and have them destroy a tribe of bandits so easily, right? Either way, the news itself was still concerning. While the part of her controlling the Grimm may have been made up, Jaune was still worried that a group of Grimm had killed specific targets, and not done their usual mindless slaughters. Curious about what else the article had to say, Jaune clicked on the links to the extra eyewitness statements, photographs of the scene, and reports from investigators. Even when the others had gotten back, and when they had all drifted off to sleep, Jaune was still up, reading and not believing. But the last one he read sent shivers up his spine. It was the statement of a young orphan, one of the ones who it seemed was in the group that the bandit in the article spoke about attacking. Without thinking, Jaune jumped out of his bed, ran across the hall to team RWBY's dorm, and began to bang wildly, hoping that she was in. She had to be, _she had to be_.

"What do ya want Vomit Boy? It's almost midnight." Yes! The one he'd wanted, Yang had answered the door. Unfortunately, she also had her Ember Celica on, and likely would use them to punch him in the face had he not started talking soon.

"Yang, read this."

"Wha-? You interrupted me from sleeping to read? What is this, class?"

"Just read it Yang."

"I swear if this turns out to be nothing important, I will send you flying through your room, and out the window. Got it?" After a nervous nod from Jaune, Yang began to scroll through the article on the page that Jaune had left up. After finishing it, she remained unimpressed. "You have five seconds to explain to me why I shouldn't just punch you right now."

"Wait, wait, wait! Now read this. Please, wait until you've read it to glare at me like that!" After switching tabs to the boy's eyewitness account, and the photos attached, Jaune handed the scroll back to Yang. This time, however, Yang didn't just skin. After something in the article caught her eye, she went back and began to reread it, taking in every word as best as she could. Looking back up at him, her eyes wide and completely lacking the total feeling of tiredness from before, Yang stared at Jaune, as though he'd grown horns or something.

"I-is this true?"

"You know about as much as I do."

"..." Yang seemed deep in thought, and Jaune was honestly unsure of what she was doing. After a minute though, Yang looked at Jaune again, and suddenly became very serious. "Save this tab, take a screen shot, favorite it. Do whatever you can to preserve this article and keep it memorized, okay? Tomorrow, meet me at Ozpin's office, right after classes let out. Got it?"

"Yeah, got it." To be safe, Jaune set himself a reminder just to be sure.

"Don't tell _anyone_ about this, okay?"

"Huh?"

"Just don't. We'll talk about this more tomorrow, okay? Remember Ozpin's office after class lets out. Don't be late, got it?"

"Yeah, got it."

"Good. Go to bed, pretend like you haven't read this yet, and don't mention it to _anyone_. Good night Vomit Boy, I mean Jaune." After closing the door on him, Yang went back into her room. Blake and Weiss, while curious, would not learn a single thing about what Yang had just discussed with Jaune. They would be left in the dark, while Yang let herself drift off, eager for tomorrow. Jaune went to his room, intending to catch some sleep. But not before he saved the pages with the articles and the eyewitness accounts. The words that had caught both Jaune and Yang, and had brought some hope back to them, even if only slight.

* * *

'_The girl who drove off the bandits? She was actually our guest at the time. I don't remember much about her, except that she had dark red hair, and her name was something like... uhm, what was it? Ahh, right._

_Ruby.'_

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Yeah, a chapter specifically following Jaune and Pyrrha, with a callback to the previous chapter. It might be obvious now what I'm planning, but just for those who didn't understand, I'm progressing things now on the Yang/Ozpin side, as well as Jaune's side. Yeah, do note that I, and avid supporter of RoseArc and known opponent of Arkos, had Jaune and Pyrrha start dating. Yeah, I still dislike that pairing, so to all of you Arkos fans out there, well, heheheh.**

**Anyhow, I saw a lot of comments asking about when Ruby would be getting the new Grimm. Well, Deathstalkers and Nevermores to be exact. While I do plan to have Ruby pick up some more Grimm in the meantime, the Nevermores and Deathstalkers will be coming last, sort of as Ruby acquiring her Bishops and Rooks later. For now, the Pawns and knights are coming first. But trust me, I will not be leaving them out. I like them far too much to do so. And who knows. With the new Volume of RWBY out, we may have a new species to add to the list before I get to the final arc of this story. Fingers crossed.**

**Anyhow, I should mention that the next few chapters will focus off of Jaune, Yang, and Ozpin and back onto Ruby as she travels throughout the continent, collecting Grimm and furthering hardening her heart in preparation for the fate that awaits her and Beacon. I'm likely going to end this around chapter fifteen or twenty, just so you guys know. I'll try for twenty of course, but no promises. Anyhow, expect some new surprises in the coming chapters.**

**Otherwise, comments, criticisms, concerns, and questions. I'm available for all, preferably via a nice public comment that I don't have to explain twice in PM's and A/N's. So yeah, you know the drill, and have a good night. Ciaossu.**


	10. The Coronation

Parting really sucks. That's all that Ruby could think of today. It had been about a week since she'd left behind Erif, the orphanage, and the small cozy town that had once harbored her. She couldn't help but long to return to that place, with all of those smiles. They reminded her of a warmer time, one where the sun shone on her, the snow would melt before reaching her, and the shadows never tried to snuff out her light. The kids she never fully got to know, the old men and women who welcomed her with a warm smile, and the boy who not only spoke to her normally as... as _he_ had, but who also appreciated her weapon and didn't mind what she had done to protect them. It warmed her heart to know that such kind people could still exist, and the past week had been spent on that single minded thought, every day consumed by it. It made her rethink running from Beacon, made her rethink running from those that had wronged her. It made her rethink her plans for revenge. The warmth they had provided, the warmth that she had forsaken, she wanted it back, she pined for it. The adult in her regressed to the child it had once been, and so desperately crawled back towards that light.

'_But what about me missy? Y'sure you deserve such a happy end with me dead?'_

'_Yeah, I doubt that such a cold blooded killer could ever live a happy life. Especially when...' _

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, just shut the fuck up!"

'_... you were smiling and laughing like a lunatic while brutally killing us.'_

'_All of us.'_

"Fucking damnit! Damn it all. Why the hell couldn't you bastards stay dead...?" Ruby seemed to whisper to nobody. But it was all true. The faces that haunted her memories, her dreams, her every waking nightmare. The moral event horizon for all sapiens, human, faunus, or some hybrid of the two. For them all, nobody could ever return after killing another. Accidents happen, and those can in time fade, the blood washing out rather well. But the blood on the hands of those who murder willingly stain, permanently dyed into the palms, the fingers, the nails. Marking them. Marking their owners, the stigma of the damned, the dirtied, the evil, the ones consumed by darkness. Hands dyed so deep a crimson that they could never again hold the ones they love, for fear of marking them with the scent of blood and rust. For fear of leaving their stigma, their own mark of shame, upon the body of the ones they are most willing to protect. An unforgivable action, and one that nobody could ever be forgiven for.

And this very mark was upon Ruby herself. That's why she couldn't accept his offer back then to stay. Why, despite the laughter and the smiles she could not bring herself to look back upon that pure existence. One that could do what he wanted, go where he wanted, and be free from the everlasting smell of blood that stained Ruby, her heart and soul and body. She knew that one day she would face retribution for her actions, and that anyone around her would likely be caught up in it at the time. There was no way she would be getting out of without some punishment, divine or human in origin. It was only right, and it would certainly come to pass. Karma has a list, and a gun. And no matter how polished her skills became, Ruby could never attain the level of accuracy that she had. All she could hope was to reduce the damage and the punishment, mitigate the damage to herself, and those around her at the time. And for all that he reminded her of _him_, Ruby could not bring herself to allow that harm to Erif, or any of the children at the orphanage. No matter how much she hardened her heart, it was still an act beyond her ability. Tired of these games she was playing upon her own mind, Ruby settled down for some sleep, her exhaustion overtaking her once again. The strain, the stress, the overwhelming amount of thoughts and feelings that were consuming her. They had all increased as of late, and Ruby desired nothing more than for them to cease, even if only briefly. Her body, seeming to comply with this wish, constantly sought sleep. And so she again closed her eyes, hoping that what awaited her was either darkness, or a dream. Nobody wants to jump from one nightmare into the next after all.

* * *

It had been weeks, and things around Beacon had returned to normal. Only to one faunus, things were still so wrong.

The team RWBY dorm was, as it had been lately, nearly empty. Since what she had done, what _they_ had done to Ruby, nothing felt right. Yang, always so energetic had lost most of her willingness lately, usually either lethargically sleeping, or studying in the library. Yang, studying! It was ridiculous as it was saddening. And Weiss, the stone cold heiress likewise tried to avoid the room as much as seemingly possible. It could be possible that they felt the same as their third teammate, Blake. Since Ruby was... well, since it had happened to Ruby, the room seemed so empty. Ruby brought life to the little room, brought it alive. Her energy was infectious, and it showed. For all that they wanted to accomplish by getting rid of her, Blake knew that they had done more wrong than right in this case. Words whispered into her ears by the others, promises that one of the next to be chosen would likely be a faunus. Another chance for one of her kind to be able to prove themselves outside of the realm of terrorism like the White Fang. Already Blake could not be more proud of Velvet, but the thought of another being able to represent Beacon, the thoughts egged on by the persistent heiress, the dull muscle head, the amazon, and the others. All of them promising it would be swift, humane. And she just went along with it.

And yet the memory of that day brought bile again to the back of her throat. But as she had been doing, she swallowed it down, and kept her eyes on her book, hoping, praying that the words would become legible again, that she could focus instead on the pages and ink before her, and not those written in blood that remained in her memories. For all that she had wanted, it was still fruitless in the end anyhow. Yang was chosen as Ruby's replacement, something that just made the guilt worse. And it ate away at Blake, ate away at her desire to hide the truth, made her want to just reveal what she had done and allow Yang to beat her to death. A death, that she reasoned, would be far less painless than what she was feeling.

"But not what Ruby felt."

With the threat of Yang possibly beating every last one of them into either a coma, or death, nobody was willing to confess anyhow. And despite her grief and sorrow, Blake's fear of Yang's wrath was the only thing keeping her from confessing as well. A coward, a murderer. A shadow that did nothing but simply cause fear and sadness where it tread. Her past in the White Fang had certainly not gone and left. No, it instead had caught up to her, and again held her in it's clutches. A life she sought to escape, one of crime and ruthless tactics to improve the standing of faunus, and yet she willingly embraced that life once again. It was despicable. Horrible. It was something that she shouldn't be forgiven for, and yet was too afraid to even seek forgiveness for. A self made convict. One prisoner of her own actions and past.

And yet no book she read could advise heron how to continue. No. The words on the pages, written in ink, did not reveal any way to wash the red stains from her hand.

"I'm sorry Ruby. I'm so sorry..." She said, to an empty room. The only sounds in the calm of the day were her sobs, and that repeated whisper, as though praying. But who would listen to a killer anyhow?

* * *

Waking up was the same for Ruby as it had been. A dream about Beacon; her sister, her friends, Weiss. Everyone, all enjoying their lives, and she with them. It was a dream of the halcyon days that would not return. And like every other time, she cursed herself for still keeping such childish thoughts. But it did not matter. She hopped down from her little nook in the trees, smoothed out her combat skirt, and got to moving. No matter what, Ruby no longer needed to worry about checking on her Grimm. They were always at her shadow, and she knew it. As she began to walk, she could hear each as they fell in behind her, Dinah the closest, followed by Chesh, 'Dee, 'Dum, and the pack. This was alright. It was all she needed now.

The day's travel had been tough on Ruby, particularly due to the stress of her supplies dwindling. Well, though the term 'supplies' was used, in reality Ruby was beginning to run low on ammunition, and stuff to clean and maintain Crescent Rose. For cleaning and maintenance, she had made due with water, fur, and boiled animal fats. But even those had a limit, and she wanted some good supplies soon. Perhaps she could do some work hunting down a bounty or something and buy the supplies? But that would be a pain, and Ruby was unsure she had the means of capturing such without possibly going too far. After all, Dinah did love to play fetch...

Even with these worried pluaging her, Ruby still mostly thought of acquiring new Grimm. Ever since she had gotten 'Dee and 'Dum, she hadn't really found any new Grimm that were worthwhile. Of course there were the normal ones, but when they attacked Ruby, she generally felt no inclination to let them live. She would often just let Dinah and the others massacre them to their own content, not even considering adding them to her group. She needed stronger Grimm. Grimm capable of fighting hunters, capable of holding their own. Especially against students like those found at Beacon. Yes, she had no need for weaklings, she only needed those that would be able to aid her in her revenge. She had need of fighters, of those old and strong enough to rival even the most seasoned hunters. But they were not easy to find. They were in fact more akin to cryptids, hidden from the world. Age and experience telling them to hide themselves, bide their time and their strength. These were what Ruby needed, and she would damn sure find all of the ones that she could. Right as Ruby was contemplating changing her direction and heading a little more westward, several gunshots seemed to sound from nearby. The gunshots were followed by some shouting, and squealing, but that squealing was certainly not that of a human.

"Pick it up guys!" Ruby barked to her Grimm. Without bothering to make sure they were right behind her, Ruby speed up, racing towards whatever fight was going on nearby. She didn't know why, but she was desperate to see the source of this noise. And when she arrived at the battlefield, it seemed that her desperation paid off. Combating four hunters were three large, heavily armored, and deadly as hell looking Boarbatusks. Judging by the size of each, Ruby figured they were roughly between Dinah and Chesh's ages, maybe a little older than 'Dee and 'Dum. Each were the size of a small car, and despite lacking the kind of vicious looking spikes that Dinah, Chesh, 'Dee, and 'Dum had, they made up for it with bony plate armor roughly three or four inches thick. Ruby knew that even her Crescent Rose would find it nearly impossible to completely pierce that kind of shell. They were perfect...

"Shit! Come on, pick it up fellas. We have to at least take one of these guys down so we can overwhelm the last two at the same time."

"We know Connor, now shut up."

Ruby watched for a minute as the two, a tall hunter garbed in green, and a slightly smaller huntress in a yellow combat skirt, both tried to strategize about taking down the Boarbatusks before them. While the action slowed down a bit, Ruby took the time to survey the area a bit, and discovered, both to her horror and disappointment, that about three other hunters who were there had already been killed, as well as two other Boarbatusks, each easily dwarfing the three that were still fighting.

"Shit. Those two could've been awesome!" But no matter how much she wanted to get in there, get rid of the hunters, and recruit those Grimm, she still held herself back. If she wanted to recruit them, she'd have to get rid of the hunters, by any means necessary. If she wanted to keep them alive, she'd have to help them kill off the Grimm. So, save the hunters, or the Grimm? It was not a choice that Ruby wanted to make, as the hunters could do good, and likely had families. And the Grimm could help her in her quest for revenge. Both had importance, at least in Ruby's eyes. In the midst of her hesitation, one of the fighting hunters saw her.

"Shit, we've got a little girl watching us now."

"Hey, you! Little Red Riding Hood! Get the hell out of here. We're hunting some pretty vicious monsters, and we can't go having you get kil- holy freaking shit!"

Their sudden outcry of surprise reminded Ruby of the Grimm that always followed her. Turning around, Dinah was walking out of the forest, coming to a rest at Ruby's side where she belonged. One by one, Chesh, his pack, 'Dee, and 'Dum all followed out, each resting behind or beside their master, who now stood before the hunters and the Boarbatusks, framed in crim and white shadows.

"Little girl, watch out behind you! Those things are dangerous! Clara, can you make a shot?"

"No problem Connor. Little girl, get outta the way. We'll save you from those creatures immediately." Saying so, the woman, Clara it seemed, lifted up a large caliber rifle, taking aim directly at Dinah. Before Ruby could open her mouth to tell her not to, she took the shot. Faster than one could ever dream was possible, Ruby had whipped Crescent Rose from it's place on her back, fully extended it, and bracing it against her body used it to block the bullet meant for Dinah, showing not even the faintest trace of damage. "Wh-what? Why did you do that? That thing is as dangerous as these creatures!" The creatures in question still in a standoff with the hunters.

"Dinah is not dangerous! Not to me at least. She's my precious family, as are Cheshire, Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum. Even Chesh's pack are part of my family!"

"A little girl calling the Grimm her family? Wait, wait, wait. Could she be...?"

"Small human female, maybe five and a half feet tall. Red hair, wearing a red cloak. Travels with several large Grimm at her beck and call. Yup, it seems to be as you surmised Connor." The one speaking this time was a shorter male, bespectacled and all. He looked like one of those nerds you'd just see in the background, and then forget about. "It would appear that she is the Red Queen spoken of by the Hunter's Association. She is thought to be a rumor, but was also cautiously given the designation of an A Class priority, right? It would seem our hunt just became that much more difficult."

"What?"

"The Boarbatusks can wait then. Guys, switch your targets to the Red Queen. Capturing her takes priority on finishing the hunt. If we can get her into custody, we can leave these ones behind and worry about them on a later hunt."

Before Ruby had a chance to process everything they'd said, the four hunters switched their targets to her, and charged at once. The foremost one, the nerdy looking guy who spoke to much, pulled out a couple of what appeared to be daggers, and immediately aimed for Ruby. Before he could even get in close, a roar sounded from behind Ruby, and both 'Dee and 'Dum came around, using their great bulk and solid armor plating to take the attacks and protect Ruby from the hunter. The daggers, which lacked both the necessary weight and power behind them to pierce the armor, glanced off of the two Ursai, the one wielding them retreating swiftly.

"Well now, those two seem to be no joke."

"'Dee and 'Dum are not to be underestimated you bastard. Before you cause yourself or your friends any harm, I suggest running away. _Now_."

"That is an adorable sentiment, but we have no plans to escape. Rather, we intend to finish this mission successfully, with you in custody and your little friends there dead."

This time, the larger man from before, Connor, ran forward carrying a large sword, one definitely with the necessary power to cause some harm, even to 'Dee and 'Dum's heavily muscled and armored bodies. But before he could try and strike them, she was sent flying by a large black mass. Glancing behind her, Ruby confirmed that it was Dinah. It seemed that before the man could touch them, Dinah had deemed him a threat and decided that it was for the best to take him down swiftly. And that she did. Blood splatter and droplets stained the ground between where Dinah had attacked him, and where he lay in the ground, a large bloody gash in his side. Ruby wasn't sure if he was alive or dead, but she figured he wouldn't be fighting any time soon. The other ones, seeing their companion and leader taken down in just blow seemed to think better of their plans. But now they had pissed Ruby off, and she had no intentions of allowing them escape and regret it. They attacked her first, this was simply legitimate self defense.

"Dinah, target that female there with the large rifle. 'Dee, 'Dum, go kill that little nerdling. His face pisses me off. Chesh, handle the last one, will ya?" At once, her guard began following her instructions, separating and taking on their own battles. Dinah's battle didn't really last too long. The huntress seemed capable with her marksmanship, but was lacking in close quarters combat. Outmatched in both speed and in power, Dinah made short work of her, shredding out her throat with a swift slash from her claws. On 'Dee and 'Dum's side, the nerdy looking guy was actually rather good. His ability to hold his own against two massive Ursa Major such as they was rather impressive. Unfortunately, it was only his speed and agility that kept him alive. Once Dinah joined the other two in their attack, his advantage was lost, as was his head. It took them less than a minute to end him. As for the last one, it seemed that fight had ended just a bit slower than Dinah's. Chesh and his group had apparently cornered the guy and taken him down relatively swiftly. It was a lackluster end to a bunch of halfassed hunters. At least in her own opinion.

"I told you guys to run, didn't I? I told you they weren't to be underestimated. But you fools didn't listen, and now you paid the price. But," Ruby said, looking at the packs that they had set near the edge of the clearing. "You may hve been worth it afterall. Dinah, Chech, 'Dee, 'Dum, don't let those Boarbatusks leave, alright?" Not even worried about them following her orders, Ruby turned to grab the bags and packs that the hunters had left. Realizing that they'd be a little cumbersome, she called 'Dee over to act as a carrier for them, at least until later when she could sort through them properly. After loading him up, Ruby went over to the giant Boarbatusks. She was well aware of how the Grimm version of roulette went, with Beowolves being at a disadvantage in a fight with Boarbatusks. With most of her numbers comprising of them, Ruby knew that if a fight did break out, she'd be hard pressed to win, especially with 'Dee encumbered, and Dinah and Chesh and the pack being at a technical disadvantage. Dinah could perhaps kill one before they got the better of her. Chesh's pack might also make a difference. But in the end, Ruby knew her side would suffer heavy casualties, so she had to play this calm.

"Hello there. I'm Ruby, that's Dinah, Chesh, and these two monsters here are 'Dee and 'Dum. I'll cut to the chase. Come along with me, I have a need for strong creatures such as yourselves." The Boarbatusks seemed to understand, and yet not at the same time. Typical, as most Grimm weren't really fluent in English, nor any other known language. In fact, it was better to say that even the older Grimm who could to a degree understand humans still had a pretty limited amount of knowledge. Thankfully, Dinah and the others were there to fill in the gaps for Ruby. "Listen, I'd rather this not be a fight. Besides, why would you wanna fight me? Aren't I adorable?" Giving them her widest, most innocent grin, Ruby simply waited for some sign of a response. After what seemed like a discussion between them, the one in the front lowered itself until it's belly was on the ground. The other two slowly, but surely followed it's lead, lowering themselves down. Ruby took this as a sign meaning they agreed.

"Glad to have you on board! Now, let's see. What should I call you, hmm~? How about, I name you March, you Peter, and you... Haiga? Seems like good names, right? Then it's settled. Let's move on my new companions!" Just as swiftly as she'd come in and laid waste to what remained of the hunters, Ruby left the clearing and the bodies behind, the smell of rust staining the once clean air.

The thought of the hunters behind her, Ruby decided to inventory everything that she'd taken from them, weapons included. The spare parts from the weapons could be used to supplement Crescent Rose, or perhaps, reasons Ruby, be used to create some new tools altogether. Thanks to some of the small craftsman tools that Erif had given her, Ruby would likely find no trouble with her little hobby for a while. And thankfully, on top of everything else, Ruby found that the huntress's rifle used the same type of ammo as Crescent Rose, a bonus for Ruby who had been brought down to her last three magazines, only one of which having her specially augmented rounds. These would thankfully ensure that she wouldn't run out of ammunition any time soon. On top of the weapons and ammo, Ruby also found other things like food, spare parts, some weapon maintenance supplies (for which Ruby was very thankful), and some money. And it was no small amount either, meaning they'd probably just gotten a payday or two. This worked well for Ruby, who had been realizing there were some things she would be unable to do with just her skills alone, some things she would need to be able to buy. So yeah, a very good haul in the end. Placing most of the stuff into just three bags, Ruby threw the straps around 'Dee's shoulder spikes, and decided to begin heading more west. After this, she would change her direction, go south, and eventually return to Beacon, with her Grimm in tow.

But first, thought Ruby, I have something to do. Harvesting some of the thick, heavy bony plates from the slain Boarbatusks, Ruby decided that she would use these higher quality armored plates to augment her greaves and gauntlets, as well as make something befitting of the title that she now apparently wore to the rest of the world.

The Red Queen, coroneted and baptized by blood and fire.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Yo, it's a me. No, not Mario you fools. **

**And I'm back with yet a new chapter of The Red Queen. This time, I decided to give Ruby a few Boarbatusks. The Boarbatusks, as we know, are the heavily armored pig-type Grimm that Weiss fought (and barely beat, thanks to Ruby's help). Back in chapter six, I mentioned what I'm now calling the Roulette of Grimm. Basically, dividing the three (what I'm assuming to be) more common types of Grimm, Beowolves, Boarbatsusks, and Ursai, into three different categories; Power, Speed, and Defense. The gist of it being that Beowolves= Speed. Ursai= Power. Boarbatusks= Defense. The Roulette works kinda like this: Speed Power Defense Speed. Make sense? I hope so, cuz I don't think I'd be able to explain it better than that.**

**Anyhow, I varied out Ruby's team a bit, and decided to give her a couple of Knights, or maybe Rooks depending on your view. I also noticed that one of the Guest's tried to assign the different Grimm to their respective pieces, and I'd like to make this a bit official. Beowolves are kinda the pawns, weak with potential and strong in groups, the numerically superior units. The Ursai are one of the knights, and the Boarbatusks are the other. Both are solid units, each kinda slow to move, but capable of raising hell when necessary. For Bishops, that will likely be the Nevermores and/or King Taijitus, both being swift and deadly. As for the Rook, I'll leave that position to the Deathstalker, as they seemed to earn that defensive title. Oh, and Ruby's King? Well... I suppose you can say that would likely be Dinah in a way. Without Dinah, Ruby would not have her small army, and if Dinah were to die, Ruby would likely lose (because let's face it, anything that can kill an insanely fast ten foot tall Beowolf that has as much intelligence as Dinah is likely over powered and dangerous as fuck).**

**Anyhow, comments, criticisms, and concerns. Questions too, if I haven't answered them well enough. I welcome all, and look forward to seeing you all for the next chapter of The Red Queen. Ciao.**


	11. Lit like a Roman Torch

A sigh. That was the only sound in the otherwise calm and quiet office that belonged to Professor Ozpin. The days had dragged on quite a bit, especially with preparing for the upcoming tournament. The chosen students were being given extra training time, were excused from class if necessary, etc. The paperwork accompanying all of this had to go through Ozpin, and his workload just increased and increased. The matter with Ruby, however, was still one of his main concerns, as if what he and Yang thought was true, then that would mean there is a young huntsman or huntress that has the wrong prey in their sights. This was something Ozpin had to work on and remedy as soon as he could, but he also had to do it discreetly. If the general student populace knew about this, it could cause panic, paranoia, or in the worst case scenario a witch hunt might break out.

With all of these concerns in mind, Ozpin sorted through his paperwork, placing signature after signature after signature on every page, confirming this and permitting that. Reaching for his coffee, Ozpin noticed there was a startling lack of anything in the cup, save maybe air. Reaching over to his little pager, Ozpin was about to request to Glynda that she bring him some more coffee when he heard the little thing click, indicating that Glynda was paging him.

"Professor Ozpin, there are a couple of students here to see you."

Another sigh.

"What do they want?"

"It's Mister Arc and Miss Xiao Long. They said that it's something they can only discuss with you. They say it's important."

So it was Yang who wanted to talk with him? After nothing for a while, Ozpin assumed that her investigation into Ruby was bearing no fruit, much like his own. But if she were here, it must mean that she'd found something. But why was the Arc boy with her?

"Send them in Glynda. And if you would, please bring me some more coffee." Ozpin had a feeling that he would be needing it.

Sitting behind his desk, the seconds now ticked on far too slowly. Something new, something that could help. This information was something Ozpin could not contain his excitement waiting for. He felt that progress would finally be made, that questions could be answered, even if new ones came to replace them. A knock, followed by the entrance of three people to his office. Yang, Jaune, and Glynda with a pot of coffee. He still questioned Jaune being there, but for now he let it go. After Glynda poured him a new cup of coffee and left the pot, she left the office. Looking to his pupils, Ozpin's anxiety grew. What would they tell him, what could they tell him? But wait, if Jaune was there, does he know?

"Hello there Mr. Arc, Ms. Xiao Long. How can I help you today?" His facade was, as always, perfect. His mask hiding his inner thoughts as splendidly as always.A poker face worthy of the devil himself, were the devil dressed in green, carry a coffee mug with him everywhere, and run one of the best damn schools for training hunters in all of Remnant.

"Professor, I told Jaune." From the look on his face, it seemed to Yang as though he'd already surmised that. "I told him, because Vomit Boy here," "Hey!" "-showed me something interesting." Pulling out her scroll and typing a few things in, Yang messed around until she got to the file she wanted, the one that she'd saved. The one regarding the news about the small town of Gévaudan being attacked by the bandits, ad the Grimm that had apparently saved them on the orders of a human. Handing the scroll over to Ozpin, Yang made her intentions obvious. "Read this. I think you'll understand what's so important about it."

Accepting the scroll from Yang, Ozpin started to scan through the article, reading bits and pieces. Nothing really stood out at first, except that it was an article about something the Hunter's Association had put out to all before regarding a new possible threat. But ad he continued to read, Ozpin found himself becoming more and more interested in the story. Interested, excited, and most of all concerned. But still entirely unsure, Ozpin handed the scroll back to Yang, who promptly minimized that file, showing another. It was the account of the young boy from the orphanage about the Red Queen. Handing the scroll back to Ozpin, Yang could almost literally see his mask crack.

"Miss Xiao Long, is this saying what I think it is?" Ozpin could not, much like Yang and Jaune, believe what he had just read.

"Yes Professor. I checked on the Hunter's website, and looked for the information regarding this 'Red Queen'. It seems the site also has the details of her posted, apparently having grilled the boy who first gave the account to the news for more details. 'On the short side, roughly five and a half feet tall. Hair is deep red, nearly black at the roots. Eyes are unknown. Pale complexion, wears a black dress with a red hood and cape. Known weapon is a _scythe_." Yang recited the information regarding the Red Queen word for word, words that she had read and recited all night. Words that, no matter what, she could not forget. "Vomit Boy was reading the news when he came across that article from before. He came over, showed me, and only me. After that, I did some research, going on the net to see if this was true. I found the article on about four different news sites, descriptions of her matching in each one. And on the hunter's website, I found that small amount of information regarding this 'Red Queen', all of which perfectly describes Ruby. Red hair, a red hood? And on top of that, uses a scythe. A scythe, no- _that_ scythe, Crescent Rose, was never recovered. Even of she were to die, Ruby would never let go of it. Professor, it has to be Ruby. It has to be." And right beside her, Jaune seemed to mirror Yang's sentiments exactly.

Taking all of this in was taxing on Ozpin. Previously, he had thought that Ruby was dead, gone forever. He believed that he had failed as the headmaster yet again, a new mistake for him to add to his tally. But no, now it seemed he had a chance to rectify this mistake. Even if it were only a slight chance, it was still a chance none the less. Discarding his facade, ripping off the mask he himself had so carefully built up and perfected over his many years, Ozpin grew serious. With an expression that could make even the most battle hardened hunter flinch, he focused on this bit of hope.

"Mr. Arc, Ms. Xiao Long, I'm assigning you two a special duty now. You two will be granted special leave from school. During this time, you two will travel to the town of Gévaudan, and find out whatever you can regarding this Red Queen of Grimm. This is the first lead we've gotten in a while, and you can believe that we will jump on it. Go, prepare yourselves to depart immediately. Any supplies you need, grab from the school commissary. Here," he said, as he passed off two cards to Jaune and Yang. The cards were normal looking credit cards, although the front of them was black, except for the emblem of Beacon. "These will allow you to gather any necessary equipment or materials at no cost. Be smart, and prepare thoroughly. Be back here by three o'clock pm, sharp." Three hours from now. "Got it?"

"Yes Professor!" Rushing out, Jaune and Yang left to prepare themselves for an adventure that, it seemed, might reunite them again with their precious Rose.

"Wait, how are we getting there?"

"I dunno. Probably by airship I guess."

"Aw shit."

* * *

Time was something Ruby held too much of now. On top of simply traveling, she didn't have much else to do. She hunted for food, made camp where possible, and mostly traveled. Here Grimm of course followed her wherever she went, all of them. And any who could see her would know that she was not someone to be reckoned with. At her heels stalked fifteen larger than anything Grimm, a trail of shadows with enough power to level small towns. The kind of Grimm that even some of the most experienced hunters would find troublesome, if not outright impossible to beat. Aura was meaningless in the face of overwhelming power. These Grimm, who seemed to be the very personifications of the dark, could make any man, woman, or child's spine shiver in fear, no matter how battle hardened.

But even so, she needed more. And finding new, strong Grimm was no easy task. As such, with so much extra time, she simply went back to improving the gear she has and making some new things. The stuff she got from the hunters who had attacked her had proven very useful in the end. With the free parts she'd gotten, along with the Grimm plates that she'd had, Ruby was able to successfully turn the gauntlets she'd made for herself into something similar to Yang's Ember Celica. And why wouldn't she be able to? Ruby had often worked on her older sister's weapons, Yang entrusting them to her due to Ruby's impressive knowledge of weaponry and smithing. Ruby was one of the few Yang would ever trust to work on Ember Celica, and as such Ruby knew them inside and out, and upside down. On top of that, they were useful in case Crescent Rose needed some help, as if that would ever happen though. But in addition to the newly re-crafted gauntlets, Ruby improved the greaves she'd made. A little extra armor never helped, especially when her legs were her main weapons.

Getting tired of all of the traveling, Ruby was about to go mad with boredom when she noticed a city in the distance. Thinking she could afford to acquire some food, dust, and maybe get a good night's rest, Ruby ordered the Grimm to disperse and hide in the forest while she went to the town. Just in case though, she kept the whistle she'd made in her pocket. Considering the size of this city, bringing in her Grimm would be dangerous, but she also didn't want to be completely without them. She vowed to only use it if an emergency came up. The whistle, along with the money she'd gathered from the hunters from before (an amount that turned out to be quite substantial) stuffed in her pockets, and in her shoulder bag were a few tools and parts for making weapons, along with some spare clothes, and a few other miscellaneous materials, tools and such. All of her things in order, Ruby was almost ready to go. Before she went, Ruby took off her hood, folded it up neatly, and placed it at the bottom of her bag. She hated to remove it, but according to what the hunters from before had said, the hood was something that they used to identify Ruby as the Red Queen, something she'd rather not be attacked for. When she thought of it, calling herself that seemed to be a bit much, but whatever. The damage was done, and that's what they're calling her now. Might as well own it, right?

Doing a final check, Ruby went over her appearance one last time. Black tee shirt, and her combat skirt on. Crescent Rose strapped to her back, and a bag around her shoulder containing everything she thought she'd need. Yeah, she was good to go. Leaving behind her Grimm, Ruby started her walk towards the city. It seemed there was a check currently going on at the gates, something that would make this difficult for Ruby. Well, it would've had she not remembered her Scroll. Somehow, out of everything that she'd managed to hold onto, her Scroll was one of the things that was nearly irreplaceable. It acted as a form of identification, as well as being the equivalent of a small, portable computer of sorts. It was, pun not intended, vital for Ruby to have this. Pulling out her Scroll, Ruby turned it on, ready to use it to enter the city. Upon reach the gates, Ruby got a better look at the men and women guarding the gates. They wore the armor of the Atlas military, no doubt the city purchased it all due to it's effectiveness. They were each armed with what seemed to be a plain short sword. Indeed, were it anyone but Ruby, they would've believed that. But Ruby's trained eye could see what most couldn't, that the sword's had an unnatural bulge in the blade, a bulge just the right size for the barrel of a gun. Along the handle, there were several tiny extra parts that didn't need to be there, each looking like they'd fit along the grip of a rifle. Ruby appreciated the subtlety, and the complexity of the weapon. But when she compared them to Crescent Rose, well they stood no chance. As it should be.

* * *

"Identification, Miss?"

Handing the closest guard her scroll, Ruby looked at the lot of them with innocent eyes. Cold, innocent, analytical eyes. Not simply looking, but observing, checking for any potential threat they may pose. A necessary skill for any Huntress. Something it seems those bastards lacked, or they would have finished their job.

"Miss Rose, is it? A Huntress coming from Beacon Academy, and so young too. Amazing. So, what brings you to Tinker?"

"Hmm, so this is Tinker? The City of Smiths? I wasn't aware of that honestly, I was just traveling through."

"Ahh, I see. So, what's your ultimate destination?"

"Beacon Academy." Ruby said, in almost a whisper. But the guard did not miss the whisper, nor the look of pure fury in her eyes as she said this.

"Uhh, is everything alright? Would you like us to contact your school for you...?"

"No!" Ruby said, almost a little too fast. Catching and correcting herself, she tried again. "I mean, there's no need to bother them. It was a simple clean up, just had to handle some wild Boarbatusks. I can make it back no problem." Ruby cautiously watched his face, looking for any sign that he would still try. She had to let those at Beacon think she was gone, that their plan had succeeded. She would need the element of surprise if she was to catch them, and take them down. The man seemed to have bought it though, as he promptly returned her scroll, and permitted her to pass through. Quickly leaving the guards behind her, Ruby stepped into the city of her dreams, Tinker. A city renowned for their black smiths and weapon smiths, it was a place that Ruby would, at any other time, not want to leave. Maybe, just maybe, once it was all over she could come back...?

Pushing the thought behind her, Ruby began to simply walk through the streets, just checking out the various shops and such. The place reminded her a lot of Vale, a thought that sent pangs through her chest. Well, whatever. She wasn't here to sight see, just stay the night, rest up, and gather some supplies for the next day's travels. Looking around, Ruby wanted to try and find a good inn or hotel to rest in, to make base in for the time. Pulling out her scroll, Ruby used the GPS app to search for any nearby places, finding a couple that were in the immediate vicinity. After going through a few, she found a cheap one that still looked comfortable. Ruby went to her Room, set her stuff down for a bit, and grabbed one of the waters from the fridge. Downing it in a second, she took the time to appreciate how nice clean water tasted. She would definitely have to buy a small portable filter while she was here.

Leaving all but her wallet, weapon, and the whistle, Ruby went out to the town to search around for a spell. Passing by a few boutiques, Ruby desperately wanted to go in and do some shopping. Thanks to the kids from the orphanage, she had some spare clothes to switch into when necessary. But she still wanted to do a little searching, maybe buy herself a new outfit or two, at most. After a small inner battle with the girlish side of her winning, Ruby skipped into the boutique to check out her options. For the next hour, she gushed over every dress, top, skirt, pair of shoes. Anything and everything she could appreciate, she did. After quite a bit of time spent searching, Ruby picked out a black combat skirt laced with red, and a black, long sleeved sweater top. She also picked up some black stockings to help keep the bugs off her legs when she slept. That would be lovely. Overall, the cost came out to be less than Ruby expected to spend, and she still had quite a large amount of lien left. After she'd grabbed the clothes, Ruby wandered a round a bit, mostly checking out some electronic shops. She picked up some extra batteries for her Scroll, a new pair of deep red headphones, and a new music player, as well as some credits for the music player to download some songs.

While Ruby was contemplating what to do, she spied a quaint little restaurant tucked in between several larger shops. Her stomach doing it's best impression of a baby Beowolf, Ruby's decision was made for her and she made her way to the little eatery. The moment she entered the little place, Ruby was assaulted by the wonderful smells of cooking burgers, french fries, chocolate pie, and an assortment of other various things she sorely missed. Her stomach was roaring like a full on pack of Beowolves now, and Ruby couldn't take it any longer. Finding an empty booth, Ruby placed her bags in the seat across from her and flagged down a waitress. After five seconds of checking the menu, she put out an order that would make any nearby female wonder how the hell she was still so thin.

"Uhm, could I start with a strawberry milkshake, a bacon double cheeseburger with an order of fries, two hot dogs?" The waitress looked at Ruby, sizing her up. The question was plain on her face, as though someone put a giant neon sign there. 'Is a girl this small really planning to eat all of that?' But the look on Ruby's face must have convinced her that she would. Taking down the order, the waitress disappeared behind the counter, returning a minute later with Ruby's milkshake. With nothing much else to do, Ruby pulled out her scroll and began to play some games on it, as well as began to download some new songs into her music player. All mostly to alleviate her boredom while she waited for her food to get there. Errantly sipping on her milkshake, Ruby glanced out the window and happened to notice someone that looked an awful lot like Roman Torchwick entering a nearby dust shop. She only got a quick glance, but the white coat and black bowler's cap were definitely his. As Ruby was thinking of this, the waitress returned, food in hand.

"No use fretting over an empty stomach." Ruby said to herself, and she began to chow down. After the night on the docks, when Roman attacked Blake and Sun and got his shots in on Ruby, Ruby had been wanting the chance to get some revenge. She owed him, and she would definitely pay him back. Preferably with interest. While these thoughts flashed through her mind, the whistle in her pocket seemed to grow colder and colder, almost as though it were sensing the intentions hidden within Ruby's mind. Freezing, almost like the heart that had once beat red in Ruby's chest, and now pumped only ice through her veins. Just before she began to dig in, a little ping sounded on her music player, indicating her downloads were finished. Plugging her headphones in and throwing the music on, Ruby ate to her heart and stomach's content, all while thoughts of revenge played in her head, supported by a sound track of her own choosing.

Finishing up her meal, Ruby left behind enough lien to pay and give the waitress a nice tip. And it seemed, to her at least, that she'd finished at the perfect moment. For as she was leaving, she saw him leaving the dust shop, his back to her. Perfect. Resting her hand on Crescent Rose, as though to assure herself that her precious scythe was in it's place on her back, Ruby stalked after the wanted thief, ready to bring a little hell into his life.

After a while, it seemed to Ruby that her time spent with Chesh and the gang did not come to waste. Their various hunting methods that she'd observed were currently serving her well. She was little more than a shadow on that sidewalk, someone that nobody noticed, but who was definitely there. Her every footstep silent, no intent plain about her. Even her Aura was calm and level, leaving not a single indication of what she was doing, or planning. Anyone who saw her would only think she was just an unusual little girl, dressed entirely in black, bags in her hands, headphones over her ears blasting out some tunes, and otherwise carefree as anything. But while she showed no signs of being anything other than just being a normal huntress-in-training, her eyes were still trained on her mark, never allowing him further than her peripheral.

After trailing him for a while, Roman turned into an alley. Keeping her eyes on him, Ruby decided that she'd have a better chance of following him with a bird's eye view. Taking a deep breath, Ruby crouched, braced herself, and then at full speed disappeared from the street, reappearing on top of the building across the street a minute later, a small gale left in her wake. From the rooftops, she continued to follow Roman, albeit with slightly more distance now so as to avoid detection. After a few minutes, he went inside a warehouse. Feeling a little bold, Ruby hopped to the top of the warehouse. Finding one of those large glass panes that act as a ceiling, she crept over and looked down into the building. Sure enough, there was Roman, several of his henchmen, and the White Fang goons from before.

"Interesting," Ruby mused. Pulling out her Scroll, she saved the coordinates of the building, and hopped off to the next roof, and the next. After putting some distance between herself and where Roman was currently holed up, Ruby walked steadily, and surely, back to her room at the inn. Once she'd gotten in, it was time to get ready. Whatever Roman was planning, it didn't seem good. Even if she wanted to take revenge on those bastards at Beacon, she still was a Huntress at heart, and she still felt like she had to stop Roman. This was how Ruby rationalized it to herself, as a deeper, more base and primal thought welled up inside of her, revenge. She would pay him back for what he did to her, much like what she would do to those that tried to kill her. The ones that called themselves friends. Grabbing one of the larger pieces of Grimm bone that she'd harvested a while back, Ruby decided that anonymity would be required here, and she knew just how to get it. Pulling out a small knife, Ruby began to carve the plate, taking bit by bit off of the edges, whittling it down to the shape she desired. After a a few minutes, the general shape began to form. An oval, around the size of her head. Atop the oval were two small rounded off triangles. After another half hour or so of carving, the finished product was ready. The oval was now more angular, pointed around the chin. The front of the oval was perfectly smooth, marked with the wispy red patterns natural for Grimm, giving the object an almost surreal look. A little over halfway up, two slits were cut into the object. It was a mask. Grabbing some string, Ruby tied it around the two edges of the mask, effectively finishing it off. When her project was done, Ruby took a peek at the clock. 3:30 pm. Deciding to make sure she was fully prepared, Ruby settled down for a quick nap. She set her Scroll to wake her up later, and fell into a fitful sleep, filled with friends, and shadows. She couldn't even tell who was which.

* * *

Somewhere in the small inn, a loud ringing resounded off of the walls. Silver eyes snapped open, eyes filled with light and shadows. Filled with childlike innocence and the malice of an adult. Stepping out of the dirty clothes, throwing on a black turtle neck sweater, black combat skirt, black stockings, black boots. Cloaked in black, adorned in red. A red box strapped across the back, an ivory belt with red wisps across the hips. And finally, slung across the shoulders, a red cape and hood fluttered, blown by the winds of an incoming storm. The face; the small childlike features, the silver eyes, the rose red lips, and the flushed cheeks all hidden by a mask of ivory and crimson. Greaves thrown over the boots, and gauntlets over the arms. All locked, loaded, and prepared to go. From that small and unknown inn stepped out a small shape, garbed in midnight and cloaked by blood. With one single objective in mind, this small figure made its way towards the industrial district of the town of Tinker, music in ears, calming it's heartbeat, ready to light the town like cinders and roman torches.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Yeah, so we're finally getting there. This little thing will be a two, maybe three, parter depending. Everyone wanted to see Roman and possibly Cinder added to the story, so I figured this would be a good way to do it. Will Ruby kill them? Recruit them? Just beat the ever loving shit out of them? Will they get the upper hand on Ruby? Yeah, I won't answer any of these. No asking. You'll find out in a chapter or two.**

**Otherwise, yeah. The story is going to be reaching it's climax soon. No, not like two or three chapters. I plan to end this around chapter 20 or so. Why? Because, well... There is a reason for this, but if I say, it'll spoil a HUGE surprise later. So I'll leave it unsaid. Just know that there will be more, and itll be good. Especially what I have planned for the last few chapters, now **_**that's**_** going to be good. Or at least, I hope you'll think so.**

**So, the next chapter is gonna be a little bit fighty, and a little bit bloody. I'll be seeing you then for it soon. And as a bonus to anyone who reads it, after this arc is ove,r I plan to go back to focusing on Love is a Knight-mare for a while. I feel I have left that one alone far too long, and I want to start putting out a few more chapters for it. So yay, here's to hoping I get to it soon.**

**Anyhow, comments, criticisms, concerns, and questions. I'm available for all, just not able to answer them so readily. Try to put a question in the comments so I don't have to answer them twice, and have a good read. See you all for the next chapter, hopefully soon. Ciao.**


	12. Lit Like a Roman Torch 2

Quietly. Quietly and surely a lone figure stalked along the empty, noiseless streets in the famed town of weapon-smiths and blacksmiths, Tinker. It was a figure that any who saw would call eerie, disturbing. A face hidden by a hood, a crimson cape flowing behind it. Dressed in all black, and surrounded by the red cape and hood. This figure looked, for all intents and purposes, like the Grim Reaper them self. Any close could hear that the reaper had headphones in, music playing. Quick paced, with heavy guitar and base. This wasn't music to calm the soul, it was music for war. Lyrics of bloodshed and violence, of fires burning and the damned taking back what was theirs. Angry lyrics screaming at the reaper, feeding and fueling it's blood lust. A blood lust that could almost be felt emanating from it. A chilling feeling that would leave women and children in tears, and would send shivers of the purest cold down the spines of any man.

* * *

She was just walking along, a slight sway in her step. Almost as though she were moving to the beat, or perhaps it was just her age showing through? Indeed, Ruby was just going along with the beat of the music, swaying with the guitars, stepping with the beating of the drums. She didn't seem like a vicious, well trained kill about to go and confront an old enemy. No, she seemed like a teenage girl just enjoying herself. It was a scene that contradicted itself in many ways.

But even while the lyrics blasted in her ears, Ruby's mind was focused on her final destination. But what exactly was her final destination? The warehouse filled with Roman and his White Fang goons? No, not at all. He was just a stepping stone, all of those white garbed fools simply pebbles lining the path to her true destination. And like anyone else who had wronged her, they would soon be dyed a deep red, the red of her anger, her wrath, her vengeance. She would step over every last one of them, crush them under her heel, grind them down into the dirt where they belong. Tonight, it wasn't her so called "friends". It wasn't the bastards she truly wanted, but she could at least get in a little extra practice.

Every night for the past several weeks, Ruby has deprived herself of precious hours and minutes of sleep, all to improve her skills, sharpen her technique, prepare herself to take down those assholes. Practicing skills already mastered, refining them to the point of their being no wasted movement, each strike delivered quick, each cut more lethal than the last. But that was just her training herself. She would need something, some_one_, to train(**practice**) her (**killing**) skills with(**on**). Luckily, there were some suicidal beasts that just so happened to align themselves with the wrong target. Beasts that would make lovely fodder, their blood used to polish Crescent Rose's blade and her own skills, their bones used to whet the scythe and sharpen her abilities. Indeed, they had the misfortune of helping Ruby take her vengeance, albeit not of their own volition.

And so she kept walking, the slight sway in her step still present. She was in no rush, and she acted in such a manner. Her gait was calm, and steady. She showed no signs of haste, nor did she look hurried or worried. She was calm. Because she knew there was no place they could go before she got there. So without a care, she simply walked. She turned here and there, the location displaying itself on her scroll, plain as day for her to find. No need to worry about being unable to find, no need to concern herself. She would make it there without fail. Glancing around the streets, Ruby made sure they were empty. Taking a crouching start, Ruby used her semblance of speed and ran straight up along the side of a building, hopping on top. In order to speed things up a little, and be sure she could get the element of surprise, Ruby used the rooftops to travel the rest of the way. It wasn't long before she could see the warehouse yet again, dilapidated and in disrepair, looking abandoned as most would suspect. But to Ruby, it simply housed some fish in a rather large, steel barrel(**coffin**).

From her vantage point above the same window she looked in from before, Ruby could see the White Fang below, moving giant crates tirelessly. From her previous encounters with him, she could more or less guess what Roman had in the crates. Dust. And a whole damn ton of it too from the looks of the sheer number of cargo boxes. Ruby didn't really know what to make of it, but she knew she was going to have a rather delicate situation on her hands if any of that Dust got aggravated. This would end up fun it seemed.

* * *

Ruby stayed there for a bit, just watching the happenings below from where she could not be seen herself. The White Fang grunts kept transporting the boxes at the direction of a dark skinned girl with green hair. Her outfit didn't look heavy or armored in any way. Possibly a speed type fighter? The daggers on her back indicated that may be a close quarters combatant, one of the worst types to fight with a polearm. Well, if it were anyone else that is besides Ruby. The gauntlets that she'd made and augmented to work like Ember Celica weren't just for show. Yang trained quite a lot, and made Ruby practice with her. In terms of hand to hand combat, Yang's durability made her nigh unbeatable. Even so, she'd never once landed a solid hit on Ruby. Ruby doubted this girl here could be much better than Yang in close quarters. Not many were. And as Ruby was thinking about how she'd take this mystery girl down, she saw a young man begin walking up to her. Silver haired, and wearing mostly silver and gray, Ruby couldn't make much of him. Checking him up and down, she couldn't find much of anything that resembled a weapon on him. He didn't have any unusual bulges in his sleeves, though upon closer inspection there was something around his ankles. His weapon it seemed was similar to Yang's. Interesting. That was the only thought Ruby had. If she could figure out the mechanism for it, she could augment the greaves she had created to function like that. Perhaps they were the same as Ember Celica? Ruby mused over this for a bit.

When the young man began to walk away, Ruby decided to start moving. Moving slower than she ever had before, Ruby carefully opened a pane of the glass window for what seemed like minutes. After removing it successfully, Ruby dropped from the window onto the nearest stack of crates, and immediately went prone. By the point, her headphones had already been removed, and along with her music player had been safely put away. Nothing to distract her from listening in on what was going on around her. No glass panes separating her from finding out what she wants to no, keeping her away from her targets. Closing her eyes, Ruby listened intently to all going on around her. The whirring of the large crane machines, the heavy footfalls of the White Fang grunts, and a conversation that sounded an awful lot like Torchwick.

"Listen here you little brats, and and listen well. This is my operation, got it? You two can go and hang onto momma's skirt all you want, but this? All of this is _mine_. Got it?"

"Heheh. That's not what Cinder said, and you know it."

"If she has a problem, she can throw on a ski mask, grab a gun, and start robbing every store on the face of Vytal for Dust. I'll leave all of the shadowy stuff to you three, seeing as it's your plan in the end. But this part? Well, keep your ears and eyes open, and you may learn a little something, sweetheart."

"Ugh, whatever. Never call me that again."

"Pff, whatever."

So Roman has some new minions now it seemed. Or no, they weren't _his_ at all, were they? Roman definitely has some sort of partner in the shadows, and that partner seemed to be the brains behind it all. And these other two, who were they? Roman likely hired the White Fang for muscle, but these two didn't seem like they fit in with that classification. Well, whatever. As she contemplated all of this, Ruby lay there. Still, unmoving, quiet as the eternal night. Listening to anything and everything, taking in what she could. Well, that is until something rather annoying happened.

"Hello there little one. You're certainly not supposed to be here, now are you?"

Opening her eyes and looking up, there was a man wearing a white mask, with little ears popping off of the top of his head. Oh great. A cat type faunus? Wolf type? Well, whatever. This was just _lovely_.

"Keep quiet, and come with me right no-"

Her cover blown, Ruby decided to just say screw it. Quickly curling herself up into the fetal position, Ruby held her knees close to her. Before he finished his sentence, she exploded her legs out with the same type of speed as her semblance, sending the faunus man flying across the warehouse, finally crashing into a large steel crate. Picking herself up, making sure her mask was still on, and turning around, Ruby surveyed the scene below her. A bunch of pissed off faunus? Check. Weapons in their hands? Check. Big ass crater in the box that the one she just kicked got sent flying into? Check. Roman, and his two little henchmen now staring at her openly, wondering what the hell was going on? Well, that kinda speaks for itself. Patting the dust off of her skirt, Ruby calmly pulled Crescent Rose off of her back, held in in front of herself like it was just an ordinary rifle, and looked down on Roman, the White Fang, and the two new goons that were at his side.

"Well, now isn't this embarrassing? I come knocking, and I just so happen to have forgotten to bring a gift. I'm sorry, but I assure you, my big sister raised me better." The onlookers were still stunned, and yet Ruby was as calm as stilled waters. None of them really moved, that is until Roman piped up.

"Well now, what do we have here? Little Red Riding Hood got lost in the big old concrete forest,is it? Well now Red, come to think of it you're the second person I've ended up calling that. But anyhow, Red, I'm sorry but you seem to be standing on top of a crate that belongs to me. Would you kindly get off, and then get the hell out of here before I let these... _gentlemen_, escort you out?"

"Roman, we should just kill her right now. Who knows how long she could have been hiding up there? She might know more than she needs to."

"Shut up brat. It'd likely end up being no more than what I know. Well Red, I'm sorry but, it looks like the children here want too do things the hard way. So well, you know... Just die, alright? Thanks." With that, and a swift little wave of his hand, Roman set the White Fang grunts on Ruby. But before the first could could even take a step, Ruby aimed and fired at Roman, the bullets grazing him on the cheek. Along the side of his face, a slight cut was forming. Roman turned back, facing a bunch of stunned looking faunus, and even his two henchmen being wide eyed. That shot was fired, not to kill him, but as a warning. It was done in less than the span of a second, with such a heavy, highly recoiling rifle. That wasn't an easy shot to make, and they kew it.

"Do you really think I came here to play with your little pups and kids? You're my prize, Roman Torchwick."

Every day since she could first spin it, that rifle has been in Ruby's hands. Never a shot was fired that was wasted. Hit or miss, her accuracy improved, as did her handling of the weapon itself in general. Should she have wanted, a direct hit would have been no problem. From below her, Ruby could see the stunned faces, the surprise evident upon especially his visage, plain for her to see.

"You fucking little brat. If that's what you want," Roman began, pulling up his weapon. Ruby knew what was coming, as she'd seen it several times before. "I'll give you exactly what you want!" As if to emphasize his point, Roman fired off a blast when he'd finished his sentence. But before his little explosive could reach Ruby, she'd fired Crescent Rose again, destroying it mid flight. Roman was nearly beside himself by now, but it didn't matter. "Get her!"

Sighing, Ruby stepped down from her little vantage point, getting on even ground with the faunus, Roman, and the two kids. She still felt like she had nothing to fear. If what he'd shown was the extent of his ability, this would be no trouble at all. The White Fang dashed, complying with Roman's orders. But before they could reach Ruby, she hefted Crescent Rose and began firing. The closest faunus took the first shot hard, the recoil sending him flying back a good few meters. Ruby could see some blood seeping from his chest, but he was still coughing and sputtering. It seemed that their Aura's weren't quite strong enough to withstand Crescent Rose entirely. Good, this would be simple then. One by one, she shot down three more of the advancing faunus before they finally got close enough to her to do harm. But they were slow, and she was not.

The first tried swiping at Ruby, large nails extending from his hand. That and his creepy overbite made Ruby think of some sort of Rat faunus. They were known for being rather violent. That, and a creepy love for cheese. Ruby side stepped and got around his back when another came clawing at her. She didn't even bother trying to note any details this time. Placing the barrel of Crescent Rose point blank on the rat faunus' back, Ruby fired, sending him flying. Using the momentum, Ruby swung herself and her weapon around, smashing the barrel into the face of the new attacker. Before the now dazed faunus could even move, Ruby took aim and fired, leaving a small crater in the side of his head, and taking him a good few meters away. Calmly surveying the rest of the battlefield, Ruby noted that they were now wary of her. It seemed that these ones were smarter than the suit-and-tie goons Roman had hired a few months back. Not that it would help them, but Ruby still gave them credit for their intelligence. However, if they decided to not come for her, she would go for them. Taking a deep breath, Ruby used the semblance completely unique to her, one that removed her from the restraints that held back everyone else. The world around her slowed, and she sped up. Letting her sweetheart whir to life, Ruby calmly stepped off, and sped through a small group of about five of the faunus. Before their Aura's could even respond to her assault, she had ended them, in an instant. On the other side no, time began to again flow normally. Shock and horror were plain on the faces of those present. In no time, or rather what had seemed like such to her enemies, several grown faunus, all great fighters in their own right, were simply put down. Geysers of blood erupting from wounds previously not there. A severed carotid, a cut through half of the abdomen, a hole dead center in the chest. They were gruesomely downed by a small, lone little girl. Regardless of how evil one was, it was still a jarring sight.

"Do know, I'm no Huntress right now. I will not arrest you, I will not kindly take you in. I will, without mercy and without fail, kill all of you if you so much as even think of attacking me."

"Just who the hell are you?!" Roman spat, from behind all of his grunts.

"Hmm. Well, you said it yourself, right?" Ruby asked, with an innocent tone and a slight tilt of the head. But the confusion was evident in Roman's face. So Ruby decided to spell it out for him. "I'm Red, right? Or maybe you know me as the Red Queen?" As comprehension began to dawn on Roman and his goon, Ruby saw something akin to worry, or perhaps fear, flash in most of their eyes.

"The Red Queen?"

"That human who's going around collecting Grimm?"

"But if that's true, where are her Grimm?"

"Are they waiting nearby?"

"This may take a little while."

"But she doesn't even have her Grimm."

"Maybe they're in heat?"

"Great, now I have a visual of Beowolves procreating in my head."

"Maybe they're Ursa instead?"

"More likely it's some sort of rabbit."

Now all of the White Fang grunts were beginning to panic, and rightfully so. Even if they were relatively new, the rumors of the Red Queen had spread far and wide. A small girl, armed and garbed like the reaper of legends. And at her heels stalked the very shadows themselves, following her every command, heeding her every whim. Rumors of dozens of dead hunters, of organized Grimm attacks, of villages razed to the ground. Most embellished, with little to no fact in them. But that didn't matter. She was a myth, a legend. And yet impossibly, she was there before them. And she wanted to kill them.

"Will you two idiots just shut up? She's just throwing around that name for no reason. Do you _see_ any Grimm around her?" As Roman had said, Ruby had no aid right now, and Roman was in a good position for it. But he had not accounted for two things when he thought of this warehouse. The first, too many windows and glass panes. The second? Well, it was rather close to surrounding forest.

And Ruby knew it.

Calmly reaching into her back pocket, Ruby took out the whistle, crafted from the bony plate of a superior Grimm. Alabaster white, and marked with red wisps. She could see them eyeing it carefully, and decided to tease them a little.

"Can you guess what this is?"

"Uhm, a whistle? I'm right, right?"

"Oh boy, look at the little kid getting a hard on over answering an easy question correct. What's your point, Red?"

"Tsk, tsk, Roman. And here I was hoping you'd be smarter. Think about it, what are whistles used for?"

"Generally making noise? So what, is that a rape whistle or something? Pretty confident there."

"Seriously kid, shut it. So Red, again I'll ask. What the heck is your point?"

"This." Ruby said, blowing heavily into the whistle. A loud, shrill sound could be heard coming from the whistle. Ruby was using her Aura to increase the vibrations in the whistle, increasing the volume and improving the distance the sound waves could travel. Almost immediately, a retort could be heard, as she heard the cries of wolves in the distance. Her wolves. Pulling the whistle from under her mask and putting it away, Ruby continued. "Whistles are also used to call, right?"

"Call wha-? Oh. Oh, no. You have got to be fuc-"

"No, not at all."

Before Roman could say any more, above where Ruby was standing, the window just quite literally exploded down, raining shards of glass upon the fallen, and Ruby herself. And dropping from the ceiling, landing at the heel of it's master, was a Beowolf. And the fear could be seen on the faces of all present. After all, the Beowolf was easily twice the size of Ruby, and then some. Covered in bony plating, almost as though armored, with claws that could tear through armor like butter. That was Dinah. With her advanced abilities, Dinah was likely the first to arrive, and would be for a while. It'd likely take some time for Chesh, his pack, 'Dee, 'Dum, March, Peter, and Haiga to make it. But with Dinah at her back, Ruby was set for now.

"Torchwick, assorted hench-garbage, I would like you all to meet Dinah. She's rather shy, but please do try to get along with her, will you~?" Ruby said in a casual, almost sing song tone of voice. If her only goal was to intimidate all present, she had succeeded, and then some. She didn't want to wait for them to gather their courage and attack her though. Now she would be on the offensive, and remain there. "Dinah, hunt." And hunt she did. Dinah lunged at the nearest faunus, tearing into his abdomen like it was nothing, spraying blood and flesh along the crates and floors. It was almost pitiful. Almost. But he was garbage, and Ruby didn't care much for that kind of trash. Neither did Dinah it seems, for she didn't stop. Immediately after her prey had fallen, she turned on the next faunus, and began to tear into it. Meanwhile, with the fodder being taken care of, Ruby faced Roman and his two henchmen, smiling behind her mask. It seemed the two henchmen were tougher than the faunus are- excuse me, _were_. The girl pulled some daggers off of her back, each having some small gun mechanisms built into the handles. And male just had his greaves begin to click and clack, indicating that they were, as Ruby had surmised, his weapons. Activating the gauntlets discreetly, and cocking Crescent Rose, Ruby faced off against these two unknown enemies.

They were the first to strike, as the male jumped forward, firing from the greaves to increase his speed and force. But it wasn't fast enough to deal with Ruby. Ruby spun as he approached, finding herself behind him in a second. Throwing Crescent Rose's blade around his foot, Ruby fired. Crescent Rose pulled back, and his momentum kept him going forward. The result was that he ended up spinning through the air, and landing on his face. Behind Ruby, the girl was cautiously making her way into range, hoping to get where her knives would hold the advantage, and Ruby's scythe and rifle would be disadvantaged. Too bad this is Ruby, and not some inexperienced neophyte. Ruby knew her game, and could easily counter it. Leaping, she'd broken right into range, dead set on cutting Ruby down. But she'd failed to notice on thing. Ruby's grip on her scythe had shifted. Crouching down, Ruby fired, sending her scythe arcing around at the attacking girl. Stepping back, she looked at Ruby with something akin to disdain. Behind her, Ruby could hear the other guy starting to get up. It seemed his little _trip_ didn't last quite as long as she'd hoped.

"Well fuck."

Aided by anger and adrenaline, the young man struck at Ruby, kicking her from behind. But his leg never connected, as Ruby expertly dodged, putting herself in position to counter. Before she could, however, the girl had come up and was trying to cut her down now it seemed. Two close quarters combatants against a scythe user in zero distance range? This seemed like a hellish nightmare. But for Ruby, her blade wasn't simply a tool, it was an extension of her very self. Getting the two of them on one side, Ruby positioned her left hand near the trigger, and her right near the pointed blade on the bottom of Crescent Rose's shaft. Firing down and off to the side, Ruby gave her blade some momentum, and began to violently spin it about herself. Around her shoulders, her chest, her waist, Crescent Rose spun in a flurry of blades and bullets. Each revolution augmented with a new shot, the shots also aimed to hit her opponents. The scythe that could cleave them apart with impunity, and spear end that could likely cut them with little difficulty. It was a hurricane of death, and in the center stood the Grim Reaper herself. Knife parried, foot blocked, and death buzzing about her, Ruby was in her zone. Ruby's concentration on the enemies before her was such that not even Dinah's nearby slaughter could rouse her attention. No. She focused on the blades aimed for her throat, the feet targeting her tiny chest, and knocked away each one, countering with as much accuracy as possible. Realizing that their usual methods wouldn't exactly work on Ruby, the two worked a swift retreat away, staring in pure awe at the small girl in front of them. The one who, despite the overwhelming difference resulting from numbers, and range, managed to fend them off beautifully. They were no longer wary of her. They were down right paranoid. Off to the side, Dinah's howls echoed through the warehouse. At her feet lay the bodies of many faunus, a pile that kept steadily growing. Before they could begin their assault again, several loud bangs began to resound from the doors opposite the room, the entrance closest to the city's bounds.

"Oh, for fu-"

With a loud crash, the doors were flung violently open. The White Fang, Roman, and his two henchmen now truly knew fear. One, two... no, there were six unbelievably large Grimm, as well as several only slightly smaller Beowolves standing at the door now. With a mighty roar, they announced their presence for all present to see.

"Ahh, there they are. Now we can begin."

As one of Chesh's pack broke off, charging at the White Fang's now paralyzed members, a fireball flew from the shadows and struck it, sending it flying back. A yelp and some whimpering seemed to indicate that it was still alive, but barely. Looking over, Ruby noticed a female. She looked mature, wearing a red one-piece dress that was adorned with gold markings, almost like flames, that showed off her body. Hey face was framed by light brown hair, and centered by two glowing gold eyes.

"Now Roman, what is this? I come to check on your progress, and find a scene straight out of hell. And who might you be?"

"Me? Oh, nobody. Just somewhere here to have a little fun~"

Ruby recognized her. She was from the incident with the Bullhead, after she'd stopped Roman's robbery. So she was his accomplice, hmm? This was getting more and more interesting.

"Fun, is it? Alright then, little Red. We'll have some fun."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Three parter it is then.**

**So, Ruby began her assault on Roman and his goons, swiftly taking out his little faunus puppets with impunity. And now, Cinder and the rest of Ruby's group join the fray. How will they stack up? Need you even ask? Check the next chapter out, and you'll find out.**

**Anyhow, a couple of things. Ruby's semblance is speed, and that hasn't changed. When she killed the White Fang grunts earlier, I wrote that time around her slowed. That was to indicate her speeding up. I wanted to try and think of it from her perspective: What does Ruby experience when she uses her semblance and speeds up? Well, she moves faster than sound, seeing as she created a sonic boom when she obliterated the cafeteria in episode one of volume two. So, to her everything else must slow down, right? That's kinda how I envisioned it at least. Your mileage may vary in this case.**

**Anyhow, not much else. Comments, criticisms, concerns, and questions. You know the deal. See you all next time.**


	13. Lit Like a Roman Torch End

'Okay,' Ruby mused to herself. 'This is getting a little complicated. Roman alone would have been a tough fight, and his two new henchmen didn't seem to be the type of just drop so easily. And to top it all off, this woman managed to fight off Miss Goodwitch, a capable and well trained Huntress with years of experience under her belt. This isn't exactly looking the best. The White Fang goons have already been taken care of, so should I just have Dinah and the other retreat? I can probably escape from here pretty easily. Shit!'

Ruby was thinking deeply about her present situation. To say it was bad wouldn't be the entire truth, nor would it be entirely incorrect. Three variables. One, Ruby had accounted for and maybe could have handled. Two? With a little bit of work she might have succeeded. And that's the worst she was hoping for. Three? And one of them was able to even fight off a trained Huntress, and not just a Huntress-to-be like she was. No, a fully trained and capable Huntress. That kind of battle prowess made her the worst variable to have encountered. Of course, so long as they didn't completely know what she was capable of, she might be able to use their ignorance to her advantage. She would have to play this extremely carefully however, and it was at this time that she appreciated the mask she took the time to carve. It was hiding her eyes so well, her silver eyes that gleamed with blood lust and concern, all in one.

The woman was great with fire, something she knew from firsthand experience. She was nearly killed by it once, and the second time one of her Beowolves was nearly turned into a charcoal briquet. Out of all of the elements it could have been, it just had to be fire. One of the things Hunters in training tend to learn about early on is Dust, and the effects it can produce, the elements being included there. Of all of the elements, each had their own specializations and uses in combat. Wind was great for speed and quick assaults. Ice was useful for defense and support. Electricity was good for stopping an enemy in their tracks. And Fire. Fire had the honor of having the absolute most stopping power out of all of the elements. In terms of pure offensive ability, Fire reigned supreme. Wide spread destruction and highly damaging, it was a natural weakness to her. Even if she was fast, there's a limit as to how far she could travel at her maximum speed in a single go without tiring. When used properly, Fire could generally cover areas within that range, if not maybe even larger. This was going to suck. Big time.

"So, Red is it? Or would you prefer Red Queen?" The woman spoke. The chatty type, huh?

"Red is fine. And you are...?"

"Ahh, that's right. How rude of me. You may call me Cinder."

"Cinder. Gotcha. So Cinder, is there any chance I can get you to just leave Torchwick to me and go?"

"Afraid not. I have big plans that require him."

"Ahh, figures."

'Fuck! That figures. Looks like I'm going to have to get out of here with everyone intact. I'll order them to retreat, and follow as soon as I can.'

"Everyone, back to the forests!"

Her Grimm seeming to have understood, the group broke off and began to retreat out of the hole they had made, leaving behind stunned and terrified White Fang goons. Bringing up the rear were the slower Boarbatusks, March, Peter and Haiga. Even with the White Fang goons sooting at the retreating Beowolves and Ursai, their bullets could not penetrate the thick exterior covering surrounding those monstrous Grimm. They could have been launching water balloons at them for all the effect that they had. Once their comrades had successfully escaped, the three Boarbatusks made all haste, rolled themselves up, and sped out, leaving their master and Dinah by their lonesome. Dinah, the strongest of Ruby's companions, held back in defense of it's master.

"Dinah, go!"

In response, all Ruby got was a low growl. Dinah made no move to flee or abandon Ruby, instead it seemed opting to stay with her and leave only when Ruby decided to.

"Damnit Dinah. I can't even be mad at you."

"How cute, a little girl and her monster mutt. Now that you've had your little moment, can we get back to the part about you attempting to kill me?"

"Be quiet Roman. Now Red, since your companions are gone, what shall you do? The odds seem to be rather again you."

'Bitch.'

"Yeah, it seems that way." 'It is that way.' "One or two extra people were acceptable in my plans. But three? A bit much." 'Especially you, you flame loving bitch.' "At this point, the best option for me would be a 'Tactical Retreat', I suppose." 'More like running away.'

"Hmm, after all of the damage you've caused to my cute little subordinates, and Roman, what makes you think you'll be getting out of here alive?"

"What makes you think you think you're faster than me?"

"This." Without warning, the woman, Cinder, launched a flurry of fireballs at Ruby. To call it a rain of fire would not be an inappropriate description, and would in fact be almost too literal.

'Wide area attack spells. That just fucking figures.' Ruby inwardly cursed, as she had seen this coming. Still, it's not like this would be too hard to avoid, but the effort would be exhausting. Speeding herself up, Ruby again entered that strange period where everything around her slowed to a crawl, even color itself dimming in an attempt to keep up with her. Moving back, Ruby found the corpses of the slain White Fang members, and immediately kicked several of them up, creating a makeshift shield of sorts. When time began to flow again naturally, all that remained where she once stood was a simple cloud of rose petals. At her new position, next to Dinah, she stood under the flying bodies of a dozen White Fang grunts, all of which were being assaulted by a storm of fire. As Ruby looked on at the bodies, now all being cremated by the flames, she felt a sense of gratitude, and relief. This kind of situation was not in her favor, and she knew it. One on one, she could probably take this crazy lady. Four on two, highly unlikely. Especially with how Dinah lacked any means to protect herself from the flames, leaving Ruby having to expend her energy to keep the fire off of both Dinah and herself. She'd have to put up some sort of offense to make any sort of gap for her to escape. This was just going to suck big time.

"Holy crap. She's _still alive!?_"

"Hmm, interesting. How long has it been since someone has managed to survive that?"

"Not sure, and I'm not all too interested. But I am surprised that you're not shedding tears over charring your subordinates like that."

"What can I say, Red? It saves us the cost of preparing a funeral for them."

"Shut up, Roman."

Taking a second to survey the carnage around her, Ruby was really getting into a panicky mood. She was good, damn good. As good as a Huntress. Around her, the ashes of what were previously the White Fang grunts were falling around her, covering the little battlefield in a thin veil of black. But Ruby knew the visibility wouldn't change much, not if she was capable of sensing Aura. Before her stood Roman's -or were they Cinder's?- two minions. They weren't that much to handle, nor were they weak. They could be problematic. Roman stood behind them, still watching her with a mix of several emotions; disgust, curiosity, hate, and worry. Above them, still on the balcony stood Cinder, looking down on her with a playful looking glint in her eyes. She didn't even seem to be fazed by Ruby, and with good reason. She had the advantage in numbers, and likely resources. Taking a quick glance, she also noticed that several of the White Fang grunts were still alive, taking up positions around her with guns locked and loaded, and swords at the draw. Yeah, that bitch definitely had the advantage in numbers and resources. Ruby still had a few tricks up her sleeves, but in the current situation, she would have almost no chance of getting to put them to use unless it was in an attempt to escape. Her Ember Celica replicas were locked and loaded, full ammunition on each. She had maybe two magazines left of the ammo she used for Crescent Rose, one of which being her "last resort" type. And she'd used her Semblance to it's fullest quite a few times already. She maybe had three uses left at best before her legs wouldn't be able to handle the strain. This was just absolutely lovely.

'Shit. We're going to have to do this fast if we're doing it at all.'

That playful look still on her face, Cinder held her hands out as she materialized two ashen looking daggers out of nowhere.

'Absolutely perfect. So she's capable of creating weapons from Dust. Or is that Aura? Perhaps it's related to her Semblance. Regardless, she'll have more weapons at her disposal than I will. Things just got a lot worse.'

Before Cinder would come down, however, the male among her two lackeys kicked off, using his greaves' built in firing mechanism for a boost to his speed. Aiming his foot at her head, it seemed that he intended to go head to head with Ruby. Deciding to meet his challenge, Ruby held Crescent Rose up, and positioned the shaft to take his kick head on. When his foot met the scythe, the result was as expected. No damage to the scythe, but the user was another matter altogether. After kicking her scythe, he had fired off another round from his weapon, hitting Ruby square in the chest. Were her aura not active, it could have potentially been problematic. For all it was, the impact simply jarred her slightly and caused her to falter for a bit, stepping back and again putting distance between her and the male. Taking a second to assess the situation, Ruby noticed that the green haired girl was missing. It didn't take long to find her, as a growl from Dinah and a grunt from behind her told her what she needed to know. The girl had tried sneaking behind Ruby while she was distracted with the boy, and likely tried to stick her daggers through Ruby's spine. Dinah, who's senses were sharp and on an entirely different level than any Hunter's, saw through it and protected Ruby. This put Ruby in a bad place regardless, as it meant that she now had enemies on multiple sides. No matter what, this would definitely suck.

This was getting real bad, real fast. Guns trained on her and Dinah, along with several Hunter-In-Training level enemies and those with Hunter-like abilities, Ruby was between a rock and a hard place. Furthermore, if that woman, Cinder, decided to get serious and could coordinate with her little pawns, it would likely end up becoming a one-sided match, and unfortunately not in Ruby's favor. That things turned out this way was only one way to show how much the world was trying to screw her over. All she'd wanted was to take her revenge on Roman Torchwick and get out of here. But now she's got everyone on the Dust-Damned continent trying to interfere. It wasn't really important enough that she would die to accomplish it, nor was it really important enough to warrant risking herself for it. But now it'd gotten to the point where it would be a fight just to survive and escape.

* * *

_Y'know Ruby, your skills are good and all with fighting, but I'd rather you didn't if you could avoid it._

_What do you mean sis?_

_Well, your Semblance for instance. It's speed, right? That's probably better suited for getting you out of a bad fight if anything. _

_Maybe._

_Well, just promise me that if you ever get into a fight with something too tough for you, you'll use that speed of yours to get out safe and sound. Can you do that for me Ruby?_

_What's going to be too tough for me?_

_Ruby._

_Fine, fine. I get it. I promise, Yang._

_Thanks Rubes._

* * *

'Hmph. Why is that old memory coming to mind right now? Damn. Guess I've got no choice. It's now or never.'

Engaging the magazine release switch, Ruby allowed Crescent Rose's current one to drop, reaching into her pouch to grab the replacement. For some reason, neither Cinder, Roman, nor anyone else even made a slight move. They watched Ruby, curious and cautious. Feeling around for a sec, she pulled out a magazine, the one she had wanted. It was the same looking as her other one, but it was adorned by a single black circle, surrounded at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions by arrows, all pointing towards the center. Loading the magazine, she chambered a round, and calmly looked at the opponents before her.

'Dinah, be ready to go. Clear the way out, okay?' Ruby said in a low voice, low enough that only Dinah could have or should have heard it. In turn, she received a small growl from Dinah, indicating that she must have understood to some extent. Steeling herself, Ruby knew she would have a small window through which to pull this off. If she succeeded, she and Dinah would get away safely. If she failed, hellfire and brimstone would be the materials for her coffin. Pointing Crescent Rose behind her, angled slightly down, Ruby got into her usual combat stance. But before she fired, she gave Dinah a slight pat on the rear. It was enough, and Dinah suddenly bounded for the nearest enemy. In other words the girl with the twin daggers. Seeing a three and some change meter tall Beowolf lunge for you would scare the crap out of anyone, and it did her. With incredible agility, she'd leapt out of the way of the incoming monster, and immediately got back into a defensive stance...

...only to be ignored. The Beowolf turned aside, and made an immediate dash for the front, seemingly leaving Ruby behind. But as their eyes were on Dinah and not Ruby, she took the chance she was given. Swinging Crescent Rose out, Ruby fired one of her high-explosive rounds out, hitting the crate nearest Cinder. The violent surge of energy inside of the crate ignited the Dust inside, causing a large, Electricity, Ice, Fire, and Wind fueled explosion that ended up engulfing more of the nearby creates. The resulting chain of explosions left most of the warehouse in ruins, and started raging fires across the interior. Not wasting the chance, Ruby had swung Crescent Rose behind her once more and fired, leaping off with the recoil as well as her own natural speed. In the span of just fifteen seconds, Dinah had created an opening, Ruby had taken it, and now both were on the fast track to escaping. From behind, Ruby could feel something coming in, and turned to find the ashen daggers that Cinder had previously created hurdling towards Dinah's back, aimed for a weak spot between the shoulder blades. Firing again, Ruby used the burst in speed to intercept and knock away the blades, following closely behind Dinah as the two of them escaped the burning warehouse, and Roman and co. Without looking back, the two escaped into the forests surrounding the town, becoming one with the shadows.

"Dust damnit!That little bitch ruined _everything_!"

"Tsk. I'll try and deal with the flames. Roman, gather what remains of the White Fang, and have them transport whatever they can salvage out, and to this location." Cinder said, as she sent a set of coordinates to Roman's Scroll. "Mercury, Emerald. Are you two alright?"

"Yeah Cinder, we're fine."

"Good, I'm glad. Roman."

"What is it?"

"How soon can you procure that amount of Dust again?"

* * *

"So, Yang?"

"What is it Vomit Boy?"

"How long until we get to this village again?"

"Hmm, not too long. Maybe an hour? Why do you ask?"

"Because you said 'Just an hour' two hours ago!"

And it was true. On that day, Jaune had woken up from the hotel he and Yang had stayed in a nearby city. After taking a shower, grabbing some breakfast, and taking a few minutes to look up the small town they were heading to on his Scroll, Jaune was ready for the day. Yang had woken up, thrown on her gear, having taken a shower the previous night, and grabbed a rather large breakfast, leaving Jaune to do the research. After making sure their bags were properly packed, the two departed for the Town of Gévaudan in search of information regarding the person who'd been designated as the Red Queen of Grimm. About an hour or so into the trip, Yang, who'd been navigating, had her Scroll turn off. She'd forgotten to charge it the previous night, and this left her and Jaune in a bind. Jaune, who tried to pull it up himself, was stopped by Yang who wanted to prove she knew what she was doing.

Which brings us to the current situation. Jaune, after running around on Yang's say-so for that past three hours with no success, pulled out his own Scroll, used the GPS function, and pulled up the coordinates of Gévaudan, comparing them to their current location. With him doing the tracking now, Jaune grabbed Yang, pointed her in the right direction, and they began to move. If anything, Yang had the general direction correct, but they were far off course. It would take them, estimated Jaune, at least another hour to get there at their pace. It was not fun, but Jaune soldiered on regardless, knowing that at the end of this journey something regarding Ruby could be discovered. Anything about her. Anything. He would do whatever it took to find out, and he knew that Yang would likely do as much, if not more if that regard. They both had cared for Ruby, albeit in different ways, and both knew that something was terribly wrong with what had happened to her. And if there was the faintest possibility that she was still alive, they would walk through hell itself to find her.

After a while spent traveling, bickering, and snacking, Jaune and Yang finally arrived at a small village. From the outside, it didn't really look like much, and after entering the opinion didn't change course the two had read the article, and were aware that the village had suffered from an attack from a band of mountain bandits. It's also the reason that this "Red Queen of Grimm" had come about, as she had apparently been staying here when the village was attacked. They wanted to see if they could find the boy who had been the host of the Red Queen at the time she was staying in the village. The report mentioned something about an orphanage, so they figured that was the best place to start. Asking around made the job go easier than expected, as apparently it was the only one in the entire village. Going to the small church that was pointed out to them, they knocked a few times with no real answer at first. After a quiet minute, a small, blonde dog-type Faunus girl greeted them at the door. She was a small thing, pretty cute though. Made Jaune think she could've been Yang, were Yang younger and a Faunus.

"Erif! There are some strangers at the door!"

"Coming!" Came the reply from in. A few seconds later, a young man stood at the door. He had vivid red hair, a little brighter than Pyrrha's. His appearance was slightly unkempt, but not in a horrible manner. "Yes? How can I help you?"

"Excuse me, you're Erif D'loc, right?"

"That would be me. What do you need? Are you more reporters?" He asked with an almost angry look on his face. It seems he's been through this quite a bit, and Yang and Jaune wanted to spare him that spiel. Sadly, they needed him to talk.

"No, we're Hunters."

"We're here because you are apparently the one who played host to the girl called The Red Queen while she stayed in this town, right? We wanted to know if there was anything more you could tell us about her."

"Look, I already mentioned everything that I could. I'm sorry, but if that's all, please leave."

Just as the kid was closing the door, Yang threw her hand between the door and the frame, keeping it from being shut entirely.

"What-?"

"Listen, please." Yang's voice got softer, as she began to speak. "This girl that stayed here, please. You have to tell us what you know about her. She- she may be my little sister. After an accident during a hunt, she was claimed to be dead. A few days ago, I found out that someone saw her, or what could be her clone, all the way up here so far from Beacon. Please,_ please_, tell us anything you know. Please."

After considering it deeply for a second, the boy opened the door again and ushered the two of them inside.

"Alright then, I'll tell you what I can."

Leading Jaune and Yang through the small church and into what appeared to be a dining area, he sat the two of them down. Disappearing into the kitchen, he came back with a plate of cookies and a few glasses of milk, expertly balanced on his hands as though he were some sort of waiter. Who knows, perhaps he was. Setting the glasses and the plate down, he took the seat opposite the two of them, and began to recount what he could.

"The day we met her was kind of like any other, more or less. There's quite a few of us that live here, and we each usually try pitching in with the help. There a couple of us that are older, and we try to do as much as possible to lighten the load on the younger ones. Well, a few of us had gone to the forest to do some foraging. Usually you can find some herbs and edible vegetation if you know what to look for. While we were looking, one of the younger girls suddenly screamed and, and we all came running. In front of her were some of the largest Grimm we had ever seen. They were all easily a few meters tall. There were some Beowolves and a couple of Ursai if memory serves. Anyhow, we were all thinking we were doomed when _she_ showed up."

Neither Yang nor Jaune missed how he'd said 'she' with the added emotion. He'd said it almost reverently, as though there were something special about her.

"She was wearing a black dress that we found out was actually Ursa leather. She also had on some black boots, and a red cape and hood. She saw the Grimm attacking us, and commanded them to stop. And surprisingly, they did. She then introduced herself, said her name was Ruby. I think she said she was from Mistral or something. Then she introduced all of the Grimm, naming each one off. I introduced the group, and invited her to stay the night for some dinner and such. She was reluctant, but she accepted. We gave her some new clothes, and had supper pretty happily. She even helped out in the kitchen. We let her sleep on one of the couches in the guest room, and went to bed. Later on, a lot of noise started outside, and it turned out that the village was being attacked by some mountain bandits. I went, found her, and we evacuated all of the kids and the adults. After going so far, Ruby pulled out this little white whistle thing and blew into it saying it would summon her Grimm. It helped out, because a couple of minutes later, a bunch of bandits surrounded us, and tried to kill us. When one tried attacking her, Ruby pulled out some big scythe thing and sliced his arm clean off."

"Wait, you said 'scythe', right?"

"Yeah. Ruby called her scythe something Rose. Said it was a half scythe, half sniper rifle. She also called it her 'Sweetheart'."

"Yang..."

Looking over at Yang, Jaune could see the maelstrom of emotions in her eyes. She looked like she was ready to start crying at any second out of sheer happiness.

"T-that's definitely Ruby." Yang choked out, barely holding back her sobs. "That's g-gotta be her. I-I-I'm just so happy." And right in front of both Erif and Jaune, Yang began to cry. Not out of sorrow, or out of rage. Not out of sadness, or anger. Out of happiness, out of joy. Tears that showed how glad she was that her baby sister was alive. Because in her heart, Yang knew there was nobody else this 'Red Queen' could be. Of course not. Nobody else would call a massive freaking scythe like that their sweetheart.

"Are you okay?"

"Don't worry," Jaune said, putting his hand on Yang's shoulder. Looking over to Erif, he showed him a face full of joy, similar to Yang's. "She's just happy. We're both happy."

After staying a little while longer, Yang and Jaune left with renewed vigor in their hearts, heading back to the city and report to Ozpin about what they'd learned. For those two, it seemed that everything was going to get better.

* * *

After fleeing from the burning warehouse, Ruby had collected herself for a bit, and went back to the hotel to rest, leaving the others back in the forest to wait for her. Taking off her combat gear and slipping into some nightwear, Ruby had gone to bed, thinking of the failure, and what it had cost her. The life of one of her 'Wolves was taken, and she was kinda sad over that. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything now except sleep, and find a new one.

Waking up was a pain, but it didn't matter to Ruby. Collecting her things and switching into some more casual wear; a red t-shirt with a black artistic cross design and some black jeans that she'd gotten from Erif, as well as the boots. Ruby put the rest of her stuff into her bag, threw on her headphones, and began playing some music as she walked out of the hotel, tab payed and all, ready to move onto the next area, collect more Grimm, and eventually return to Beacon with her army in tow. Walking down the streets, Ruby let her grown out, slightly unkempt hair fall over her eyes just a bit, giving her the look of some street punk.

And right by her walked a man in a white coat, wearing a black bowler's hat, complaining loudly on his Scroll to someone at the other end.

"-don't care. Make sure to finish moving it all to the place I told you, and we'll begin planning the next operation. Got it?"

As he brushed by Ruby, the man tensed up for a second, and turned back to look at the small, dark-red haired girl that he'd just passed, only to find nobody there.

"No way."

Already at the town's borders, ready to rejoin her Grimm, Ruby said, seemingly to nobody but herself, "Yes way, Roman."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Hey, it's me. Not gonna write anything too long here. Just going to put a few things. **

**Yeah, I realize Cinder was a major badass in canon, and though we know Ruby'll be able to beat her, I didn't want to have a few Grimm be sacrificed to make it possible by having them hold off Roman, Emerald, and Mercury. So I let the one Beowolf Cinder blasted be killed, and had the others escape properly, all while Ruby destroyed a good portion of the Dust and wiped out most of their manpower.**

**Also, I switched over to Yang and Jaune. Now it's confirmed, and both know that Ruby is we next see them, they will begin to focus on searching for Ruby, under Ozpin's guidance and aid. I know, "How can they stay out of school for so long?" Ozpin. "How can they explain their absence?" Ozpin. I plan to have Ozpin essentially handle all of the minor things to make Jaune and Yang's search go easier, while also doing some searching on his own end. Who knows how that will turn out? Oh wait, I do.**

**Anyhow, I guess the usual still applies. Comments, criticisms, and concerns are all appreciated. Any questions you have, please don't PM me, because then I end up answering twice and that is a pain in the butt. If the swearing offends you, I don't care. And sadly, I will not be ending this author's note with anything witty. I ran out of witty comments. I'll try to think of some more for the next chapter. See ya then.**


	14. Don't Tread On Me

Nipping at her nose was a slight chill. The wind blowing around her, and the leaves beginning to lose their beautiful green color, exchanging it for the ironically warm tones of orange and yellow and red. It seemed that Autumn was starting to shift into Winter. Pretty soon, the ground would be covered in snow, the leaves that adorned the branches and trees around her would have almost all withered, and her targets would be hibernating. Time didn't seem to be on her side at the moment, considering that she had just lost a Beowolf only a few days ago, and she was in desperate need of recruiting some more Grimm to face those that she once called friends, and now call nightmares. It seems that everything lately was just desperate to screw her over. Her chance at Torchwick was ruined because of that Cinder woman, she was attacked and left for dead by those she considered friends, and she'd had to struggle like hell simply to support herself for the past month and a half. Making sure she was covered at night, cleaned when she got dirty, and could supply her own food. Were it not for her circumstances growing up, she would have had difficulty doing just one of those, let alone all three. No, it was good she wasn't born in a city and raised in a pampered environment. As such, despite the difficulty for one her age and experience, she was able to successfully struggle through just about anything she had to.

Her current objective was a simple one really. Back when she was in Tinker, Ruby had gotten access to the web while she was staying in the hotel. They thankfully had free WiFi available, and being the opportunist she was, Ruby took advantage of that one small luxury. After hooking her Scroll up to the WiFi network, she went to the Hunter Association's website, and looked up any bounties they may have had posted. See, the site functioned not only as a means of supplying news to Huntsmen and Huntresses that would apply to them, but it also worked as a sort of catalog for any and all Grimm based activity; from minor events consisting of small packs of a few Grimm, to reports of larger and more powerful groups, even to Grimm of Dinah's level or comparable. It was for those that Ruby searched the database, and she was not disappointed. Not at all. She'd managed to get a list of about a dozen possible Grimm, all of whom were the type of firepower she would be more than glad to acquire. The first one she was after was near enough to Tinker that it was only maybe a half-week's journey, and if it was truly as it said, then it could be counted on as the type of Grimm that Ruby would do anything to acquire. It was a King Taijitu, and a damn strong one at that.

As all Huntsmen and Huntresses know, the older a Grimm becomes, the more powerful they become. They often grow in size, gain a greater amount of intelligence, and the bony plates that cover them spread out and thicken. It could be said that older Grimm are a threat that could not be allowed, which explains why Hunters were always quickly dispatched to eliminate any Grimm they could. Occasionally though, there are Grimm who can survive. And out of those who survive, there are the ones who grow in wisdom and experience, and who cheat death long enough to be called genuine monsters.

One story tells of a King Taijitu who was said to have been over one hundred and fifty years of age. At the time, it had been seen as a major threat, fully capable of wiping out any towns it passed. It's overall length, from mouth to mouth, was recorded at being nearly 175 meters in length, a previously unheard of size. The scales and plates that covered it were rumored to be so impenetrable and tough that even a weapon of Crescent Rose's caliber was incapable of even leaving a single crack. It was, by all rights, a true monster. One that the Hunter's Association took a considerable amount of care and resources to hunt down and eliminate. As the story goes, they had hired over one hundred Huntsmen and Huntresses from all across Remnant to help combat and slay the twin-headed snake Grimm. After what amounted to two days of constant attacks, switching out team after team when they were tired and placing them back in when they were rested, bullet upon bullet being spent in a rain of spent munitions, and enough Dust being used to make even the Schnee Dust Company widen their eyes a little, they were victorious. But it was not without cost, and a dear one at that. Out of the one hundred and two Hunters that were gathered for the battle, twenty seven were killed, nearly twice that seriously injured, another handful ending up crippled for life, and nobody having left it uninjured sans twelve marksmen. The amount of resources depleted just on killing the first head was said to be enough to arm Atlas's military for a single campaign. While likely exaggerated in that regard, there was no doubt that it took more than human and faunus kind were willing to sacrifice again to handle such a monster. The battle was such that it is a Grimm that has been immortalized in the Hunters Association's archives as "The Most Dangerous Grimm Ever, of all Time" under the nickname "Ouroboros".

It seemed the King Taijitu that Ruby was currently after was nowhere near Ouroboros' power, but it was still estimated at having nearly half a century under it's belt just based off eyewitness accounts of it's size and the luster of it's scales. Given the title of "Checkmate", the King Taijitu had apparently been active until recently, and it's hunting habits more often than not included humans and faunus, and sometimes even Grimm. It was big, it was violent, and it was perfect. And going by the categories of Grimm, a King Taijitu would be classified as both a Speed type and a Defensive type by Ruby's best guess. Despite their large bodies, they are agile, well coordinated, and swift to strike. All this despite the layer of tough scales protecting their bodies. They didn't quite match up to a Beowolf in terms of speed, with Dinah likely being able to kill one head before the other event remotely begins to move and act. And in terms of defense, they wouldn't be able to rival a Boarbatusk, though they'd have more coverage than one. All in all, they were a greatly balanced species of Grimm, and with age and experience, became one of the deadliest sort any Hunter could ever fight. An experienced and aged King Taijitu was a living nightmare for any Hunter; new or old, neophyte or veteran. And Ruby wanted it, by any means necessary. So, with her pack following closely at her heels, seeming to anyone who would see them as simply a congregation of shadows following one lone, red hooded girl, she stalked towards the site of her next mark, intending one way or another to have it. And if something, or some_one_, got in her way, well then...

* * *

Not even a couple of days after he hd sent them out, Ozpin had gotten word from both of his students, and the results were much better than he had expected. Their report lifted his spirits, and granted him something he had thought he'd lost; hope.

"Good morning Professor."

"Good morning to you too, Miss Xiao Long, Mister Arc. What can I do for you?"

"Uhm, well... We went to the village like you said, and it seems that the Red Queen is really Ruby." Jaune supplied.

"And you're sure?"

"Yes Professor!" Yang was bursting with emotions right now; joy, happiness, and glee. Yes, they may be synonyms and such, but Yang's mood was such that they were all applicable at the same time. Her excitement was evident to Ozpin, and he gave a small chuckle at the now cheerful and revitalized Yang. "We found the boy who gave the information to the HA, and he confirmed it all. He even mentioned that the Red Queen used a scythe that she called 'Something Rose', and referred to it as her sweetheart. There is nobody in this world who would do something like that to a scythe other than Ruby. It's her, it's her!"

"This is good news indeed. Stay there and try to gather what else you can from the residents. Afterwards, I will arrange for transportation to pick you up from the city of Tinker. Apparently, something had gone on over there a few nights ago, and some reports state there was a figure dressed in a red cape seen fleeing with a large Grimm following it closely. Once you are finished up there, head over to Tinker and find out what you can."

""Yes Professor!""

Switching off the communications, Ozpin took a small chance to lean back in his chair, and breath a sigh of relief. If Yang, who was Ruby's older sister and knew her better than just about anyone, said that the Red Queen's habits matched Ruby's perfectly, then Ozpin himself could not deny it. That had to be her. It had to be Ruby. It meant that she was still alive, that the crushing guilt he felt over her death was lifted, and that he could earnestly face his old friend and tell him that the niece he so loved was still of this world. Despite his happiness, something gnawed away at Ozpin, and it took him a minute to figure out what exactly it was.

The Red Queen. The title of a human who had recruited Grimm, and the name of a criminal wanted by the Hunter's Association. She had been labeled an A-Class priority, a designation granted to those with no hesitation about killing, as well as a dangerous skillset to accommodate a lack of mercy. The more he thought on it, the more it made him wonder. Had she, had Ruby, taken another's life? If one took what was reported about the attack on the small town as being fact, then she personally was responsible for the deaths of many of the bandits. Despite them being the scum of humanity and faunus, they were still people with a soul. One of the Hunter's greatest rules is to never take the life of another, human or faunus. Hunters, those with control over their Auras, as well as abilities far beyond what an average person can hope to equal, were not only a source of comfort to the general population, but also sometimes a source of fear. A rogue Hunter was fully capable of causing problems that could possibly have far spreading consequences, especially those engaged in such like terrorism or those who simply wish to see the world burn. They were a true threat. And those were the type given the designation of A-Class. So then, why does one like Ruby have such a dangerous classification?

Ozpin could sense a feeling of foreboding so awful, and no matter how hard he tried to shake it, a slow chill began to creep up his spine. A ghastly chill, an unnatural chill, a feeling that made even the harshest of winters feel like a pleasant spring. And Ozpin prayed to Dust that he was wrong. If he was, not even his position as the headmaster of one of Remnants leading school for Huntsmen and Huntresses could give him the authority to save Ruby.

* * *

It was a royal pain to have gone through so much traveling for this Grimm, but if the reports were anything to go off of, it would be well worth all of it. For the last half a day, Ruby had been single-mindedly driving herself, and her Grimm, onwards. Despite the wind and chill that was beginning to gnaw at them. Despite the fatigue that she was facing, and the soon-to-be hunger that her Grimm were facing. And if the worst came to be, then Ruby would lose her chance to acquire it altogether.

Grimm may not be, in the most technical sense, animals, but the ones they share characteristics and habits with the ones they relate to. A notable example would be how Beowolves, much like real wolves, tend to hunt in packs and have strong bonds with one another. Boarbatusks, much like actual boars, are easily goaded and attack with little to no provocation. Nevermores nest when they lay their eggs, and Ursai are attracted to sweet things. And the list goes on with the characteristics share. So what do the King Taijitu, and regular snakes have in common? They are cold-blooded. When the winter chill finally approaches, there is no doubt that they'll revert to a hibernation-like state, and become nearly impossible to find. If she were to acquire Checkmate, then she would have to do it soon. Before that winter finally comes and blankets her only opportunity in white snow.

With this in mind, Ruby was pushing herself. If anything, she had maybe a month or two before that kind of habit actually set in, but she didn't want to take any possible chances. Acquire her Grimm quickly, and take her revenge as swiftly as she could. This impetuous nature of Ruby's has always been a defining characteristic of hers, and could even be said to be the reason to why she was even accepted into Beacon. Answering the call to battle with a villain like Roman Torchwick despite the danger it posed to her, and taking the chance to enter Beacon when it was offered to her. Yes, it was this nature of hers that garnered the ire and jealousy of those around her. Two years they had on her, two years that they felt created some insurmountable barrier between her and them. This one choice of hers left her in this situation. Now, all she wanted to to rush back to Beacon and cut them all down as thy had attempted to cut her down. She wanted nothing more than to repaint Crescent Rose in their filthy blood. Especially those three; the heiress, the amazon, and the cat bitch. She would make sure they did not go unpunished, no matter what she herself had to do to accomplish this.

As these thoughts began to dance their way into her mind, Ruby unknowingly began to let out some tears. It took a second for her to even realize they were coming, and by the time she had, they had already left their own trails down her face. Why, she thought to herself, was she feeling like she had any need to cry? They weren't worth her tears; neither they nor their fake friendship ever deserved her tears. None of them regretted what they had done to Ruby, not a single one. Each looked at her as though she were an obstacle, all had faced her determined to take her down. And at that time, she couldn't bring herself to face them with that same determination.

* * *

'_So isn't this why we're gathering the Grimm?'_

* * *

Huh?

That one innocent thought that just popped into her head, completely unbidden and random in origin, had caught Ruby off guard, and stopped her dead in her tracks. She couldn't believe what she had just suggested; could she really be so afraid to kill them that she would gather the Grimm because she was too weak to do it herself? Could that be...? No, it couldn't. She had steeled her resolve to kill already, and had even taken the lives of humans and faunus who have attacked her already. So was she hesitating to answer because she felt some lingering affection towards them? For the friendship they once offered a socially awkward girl like herself? The kindness they had shown? The moments that had become precious memories?

'These thoughts are poisonous!'

Before she let herself become completely overwhelmed by such thoughts, Ruby immediately did the one things she could think of; she smashed her head against a tree. With no Aura to protect it from the blow, having intentionally let it down, Ruby felt the full impact of the hard, rough bark crashing with her head. The pain jarred her slightly, and the move left a large gash on her forehead where the bark had cut into her alabaster colored skin, further darkening the red of her hair with the blood seeping from the wound. But despite it all, Ruby felt better. That one move had completely shut those thoughts of hers up, and after letting her Aura work it's magic, her head began to repair itself. In a minute, there wouldn't even be a mark or trace that it ever existed.

With her head cleared, Ruby focused her thoughts back on the right path.

'It doesn't matter if we were once friends, or if they showed me any smiles or warmth. It doesn't matter that we once shared a table, or secrets. All that matter is that they betrayed me, and I _will_ take my revenge.'

That's right. Everything was wrong (**for her**), and yet right (**for them**). This world was broken. Unbroken. Broken. Unbroken. Broken. Unbroken.

If this world was so broken, then it wouldn't mind if she just added more pieces to the already fucked up and shattered remnants, now would it? It wouldn't right? Right? No, it wouldn't. Nobody should. After all, they had done, or at least tried, to do the same to her, did they not? One of the basest rules in this world, or any, is the rule of "and eye for an eye". So, if they tried to take her eye, should she not get the same opportunity? That's right, it was only fair after all. Lost in thoughts that no human or faunus would ever attribute to such a cute girl, Ruby did not notice that a predator was beginning to bare it's fangs at her. Or so the predator though. How unfortunate that even lost in her own psyche to thoughts of revenge and the bloodthirst accompanying them, Ruby was still aware of her surroundings. Well, unfortunate for Checkmate that is.

Around Ruby and her Grimm, the foliage began to rattle. Noises comparable to metal scrapping against metal surrounded them on all sides. The exact type of thing needed to awaken Ruby, take her from her own thoughts and bring her back to the world of the living damned. That irritating scraping could only be the scales of a King Taijitu rubbing against another surface, likely the trees and roots scattered around the area. Well, this was lovely, perfect in fact. She didn't have to go looking for him. The dumb bastard just showed up all on it's own. No, wait. It isn't "on it's own" at all, now is it...?

All around Ruby and her group, shit hit the fan and rather violently too. From the bushes, the trees, everywhere around them appeared dozens of King Taijitu. They were all not too large, all maybe eight or nine meter sin length at best. They couldn't be too old, maybe a few years. But this could explain the massive amount of King Taijitu attacks in the area. So it seemed that Checkmate was a mother. Go figure. Well, this was completely outside of Ruby's expectations. And yet looking at her, one wouldn't see anything that even remotely resembled fear. In fact, forget fear altogether. The look on Ruby's face was a Cheshire grin that could make even the devil himself run like a bitch. The increasing stress she had gathered, every last problem that was raging itself inside of her mind, everything. All of this was simply forcing itself onto her fragile, young, fifteen year old psyche, and much like anything pressured too much, she had simply broken. She had come here to look for a simple, fucking, giant pet snake. Now? She had fodder surrounding her, trying to fuck with her, as though she were another simple passerby. Well, that big snake should be nearby, right?

"Maybe if I kill you fuckers off, it'll show? That's right," Ruby's tone was low, dangerously so. As if completely opposite her current visage, her tone was almost like one who has simply distanced themselves from reality. But far from it, her eyes were wildly searching for her mark, her prey, her next little pet. And by damn, she would fucking have it. Pulling Crescent Rose off of her back, Ruby allowed it to extend to it's full length, and pointed it straight at the King Taijitu before her. "I'll just fucking kill all of you. That should make you happy, _RIGHT?!_"

Even if the Grimm are generally unthinking and unfeeling, and even if these young ones could not understand human and faunus speech, they were still aware. They could not understand what Ruby had said, but they understood the implications of the proclamation. Every animal, and Grimm, have the innate ability to sense danger. While animals act on this and tend to run from threats, Grimm had more trouble distinguishing what was a threat, and rarely ran away. But these King Taijitu, from the ferocity of her tone, from the way she held herself, to the bloodthirsty Aura seeping from her body, to the sharp predatorial glint in her eyes. Even these Grimm, which had never before felt fear towards any living being, feeling only hunger and a desire to destroy, began to feel what any sane being would attribute to fear. But it was too late to back off. All around her, Ruby's Grimm began to take their positions. Dinah at her right flank, Chesh at her left, 'Dee, 'Dum, Haiga, March, and Peter all put themselves around the back. Bolstering all around were Chesh's pack of hunters, experienced and deadly, swift and efficient. If the King Taijitu had any idea of how screwed they were, they would simply chance turning around and running. But from the way they looked at Ruby's group, she could tell they were hungry. They had to feed. So they would not run. Even if they would, it's not like Ruby would let them. She was pissed, so thinning out their numbers a bit seemed like the best way to let off steam.

"None of you interfere, got it?" Her voice was even and calm, and Ruby spoke thus to her companions. And they all knew to listen.

Stepping forward, Ruby stared down at the nearest King Taijitu, daring it to make the first move. It did. The King Taijitu, heedless of the monster before it, leapt, seeking only dinner. Giving a light kick to Crescent Rose, Ruby unstuck it from the ground, and fired off a single round, giving her scythe the momentum to whirl around. Using her hand and wrist to control the spin, and her deft, dexterous fingers to maintain control of the scythe's shaft, Ruby spun her weapon once, and completely bisected the King Taijitu's White half. The Black half, before it could try anything, met the opposite, sharpened end of Crescent Rose as Ruby speared the creature to the ground, impaling the skull through to the soft earth below. One down, a few dozen to go. And Ruby honestly wasn't feeling like letting them take the next move. Stepping off, Ruby activated her Semblance, and once again the world around her slowed to a crawl. The dozens of bustling snakes that had previously looked at her with hungry eyes now stared blankly where she once was. Meanwhile, she freely walked among them, slicing their heads off here and there. Despite their size, they hadn't fully matured, and their scales were still in the early stages of hardening. Against a normal sword or a lighter firearm, they would suffice. Against Ruby? Yeah, try again in a hundred years, and maybe the scales would be tipped in their favor (pun intended). All around Ruby, time began to move as it should once again, and yet everything had changed in that single instant.

To the King Taijitu she had cut down, it would appear as a quick, painless, and instantaneous death. To the ones she hadn't killed, it would appear as though with a small flick of her wrist, nearly a dozen and a half of their kin had been extinguished. The number of eviscerated King Taijitu was astounding, and apparently, Checkmate couldn't hold off any longer. Coming out from where it had lay hidden, the massive Grimm brought itself up to a rather intimidating height. Ruby guessed it was roughly thirty meters in length, a rather large size. On top of that, the scales had begun to broaden, and small spikes had begun to form along the plate-scales on the back. It was a damn large Grimm, but by any assumptions not the worst. Looking at comparable growth rates, Dinah was likely in a category altogether above Checkmate, likely nearing a century. Her intelligence and strength also pointed to that fact. Still, wouldn't be a very simple fight in the end.

"So, you're the big, bad momma, huh? Well, sorry about all of your kids. I was just disciplining them. Attacking me without warning, how ill mannered." Ruby simply mocked the giant Grimm's children, despite it likely being unable to fully comprehend what she was saying. "Anyhow, I at least left about thirteen of them alive. So, forgive me? I know! Why don't you join me? The more the merrier!"

As though it was considering what she was saying, the Grimm tilted it's massive head. But it could not fully understand her, and this was obvious. In a flash, it dropped down, fangs barred at Ruby, impaling the spot she had standing at previously. Just a few feet away from that spot, Ruby now stood, Crescent Rose pointed straight at the head.

"Big. Fucking. Mistake."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**So yeah, going to end this chapter on a slight cliff hanger. Next chapter, you get to find out whether or not Ruby gets a new Grimm or not. I know the answer already, but you'll just have to wait and find out. I ain't spoiling a thing.**

**As for everything else, due to the nature of my occupation, I am currently making plans to transferring, which is taking up most of my time. As it were, the next chapter I release (which I promise I will try to have out very soon, so as to not leave you hanging) may be the last for a while due to a possible hiatus I may be put on. Odds are, you'll find out within a month as to whether or not this will be an extended hiatus or not. Sorry.**

**Oh, and to answer a question posed to me a few times: Ruby did not kill Roman in the town due to one simple fact, it would have caused her more problems than it was worth. When she was leaving Tinker, she passed by Roman who seemed to recognize her. If she had fought him then and there, and killed him as she could have in less than a second, it would have ended up giving Ruby a worse reputation, as well as make her being alive more obvious and likely to eventually reach Beacon's ears.**

**By the way, to answer the most common question (again) I seem to be getting (so it isn't asked again), Ruby will be getting Nevermores and Deathstalkers later, towards the time she arrives at Beacon. So no, not this, next, or the chapter after that even. Expect it around chapter 18 or 19. **

**Otherwise, it's the usual shtick I suppose. Comments and critiques. Suggestions and questions. I am open to all, but within reason and moderation. Limit the PM's, as those are a pain, and someone else may have the same question as you. Anyhow, have a good night, enjoy the story, remember that dogs are not meant to be sent via mail in a hyperspace tube. It may accidentally scare any nearby cat faunus when opened.**


	15. Cut off the Head

It could be said that as a person- human or faunus, it doesn't really matter which- loses their proper control over their Aura when their mind is put into a state of frenzy, panic, or overall disarray. In these altered states of mind, one could be said to be at their weakest, leaving them open to even the simplest of attacks from Grimm. Without the right mind set, without concentrating on the enemy before them with a cleared mind, one could end up becoming the next among the slain. It was evident back when Ruby was... unceremoniously turned on by her peers and "friends". Had she not been so confused, had her emotions not bee in turmoil, she likely could have walked out of that fight with little more than a few scratches. But when she was as confused as she was there, when her mind was racing in fifty different directions, her Aura was at it's weakest, and could not fully protect her from those with evil intentions.

With that in mind, for one who's mind is in a frenzy, maintaining their Aura for use in defense or offense is generally difficult to nearly impossible. That said, with enough concentration, it can be done. As before Checkmate's eyes stood a little girl, wearing a red hood. In her hands was a blade that bore the blood and scent of it's young, and adorning her face was a mask of sheer hatred. Just looking at her, that blade pointed towards it's head, even Checkmate understood one, simple thing. This wasn't simply another one of the human and faunus' hunters. No. It was someone, some_thing_, far darker. It was interesting, so to say, to Checkmate that such a small being could harbor so much negativity. Even for a being of the light, one with a soul, hers was stained noticeably, very much so. This created a situation where this Grimm, one that knew neither fear nor concern, nor even interest, simply felt what could only be described as curiosity towards this little one. And this made it contemplate it's next move very much.

"So what? You attack,and now you're going to just sit there? You are seriously pissing me off, you Dust damned monochrome worm! Freaking attack me already!"

It wasn't just Checkmate either, but all of the Grimm around them were looking at Ruby, a mix of curiosity, and concern. The longer they sat there, the more they could feel her growing ever worse. Anger was primary amongst it all, but there were other things mixed in there. Sadness, fear, abandonment, concern, betrayal. She was a menagerie of emotions, all of which the Grimm watched curiously. She was an enigma amongst humans, as far as they were concerned. Normally, those conceived of the light could never harbor such a darkness in themselves. Most would usually end up still holding more of an attachment to such things, even if they were scorned.

But Ruby wasn't like most. She was innocent, pure, and childish to a startling degree. If a soul had to be quantified, then it could be said that everyone, human or faunus, had a small portion of darkness in themselves. There were those of course, much like Roman Torchwick and the White Fang, who were evil purely for evil's sake, who had more darkness in them than most. But no matter what, the amount of darkness never out did the amount of light, ever. It was an almost cardinal rule for humans and faunus, being creatures of the light, they could not harbor more darkness than light. Their very natures rejected that possibility. Or so they should, if anything. Humans and faunus could not see this darkness and light balance in a person. That was something generally exclusive to Grimm. It helped them identify targets, and allies. Anything that harbored more darkness than light was an ally, and vice versa. Ruby should have been scorned by the Grimm, hated and attacked by them. And most of the Grimm that saw her didn't even bother checking, they assumed her as a meal and attacked. Had they checked, they would have seen that there is only a small portion of her soul left incorrupted by the darkness in her heart, that the Grimm would have recognized her as one of their own near instantly. Well, for the record, Grimm have absolutely no light in them, hence the shadowy appearance they all have. But even so, they'd recognize Ruby not as an enemy, but as one of their own.

And right now, that's actually what Checkmate was doing.

* * *

"Yang, are you almost ready to go?"

"Sure Jaune, just give me a minute."

It had been two days since they'd arrived at the tiny village where the Red Queen had been, since they met the young boy who'd sheltered her while she was there, and when they learned that the Red Queen could be nobody but Ruby, beyond a shadow of a doubt. There was no other possibility to the Red Queen's identity as far as Yang was concerned. After that day, they had spent a couple of nights there, at the request of Erif and the children. During their stay, the two had asked Erif about anything else he could remember regarding the Red Queen, taking the details and further cementing their belief that it was Ruby. The way she acted, how she carried herself, her personality, everything. And so Erif obliged, over some hot cocoa of course.

Now, Yang and Jaune were preparing to leave the village, and head for the city of Tinker. Jaune, it was decided, would be doing the navigation this time. After bidding the children of the orphanage a farewell, the two set off, Ozpin's instructions still in mind, as they headed for the city of Tinker. There they hoped to gather more information on the Red Queen and what she was doing, as according to Ozpin. If they could any information at all, it would be a huge step towards finding Ruby. With renewed vigor in their hearts, the two took off.

"Yang?"

"What's up, Vomit Boy?"

"First, please never call me that again," Jaune dead panned, for the umpteenth time. "Second, are you sure it's Ruby that we're going to find at the end of this road?"

"Eh?"

"Are you sure it's going to be Ruby that all of this leads to, or just some bloodthirsty person gathering Grimm and using a cover that's similar to Ruby."

"It's Ruby. I know it. Nobody else would name a scythe like that, and then refer to it as their sweetheart. Nobody."

The conviction in Yang's tone essentially convinced Jaune, but other things kept nagging at him. Exactly what were they...?

* * *

Ruby was visually getting aggravated. The giant King Taijitu before her, Checkmate, had simply stayed still for the past five minutes after trying to eat her. Attack her, stop attacking her... She was increadibly annoyed by the simple fact that to her, it seemed as though Checkmate wasn't even considering Ruby to be a worthwhile fight or meal. The more Ruby focused on her thoughts, the more she pissed her own self off. She wasn't aware that Checkmate was simply observing her, nor was she aware that every Grimm in that clearing had their eyes on her. No. She simply was aware that she was attacked, and now ignored. And it just pissed her off.

"Fine! If you won't attack me..." Ruby gave Crescent Rose a light tap with her foot, and using her hand and wrist as a fulcrum, spun the scythe so that the barrel was facing behind her. Grabbing her weapon with both hands, her finger on the trigger, Ruby lowered herself, entered into a combat stance, and tensed up. "I'll be coming for you." And she fired. In front of the massive snake, Ruby disappeared, causing Checkmate to put up it's guard, somewhat. But neither of the snake's twin heads could find Ruby, something that should have made both feel a terrible concern, or fear. Instead, there was only confusion. Not for long however.

A loud burst from above caused the twin headed snake to look up, only to see Ruby descending at an incredible speed. Landing on the King Taijitu's head, Ruby smashed the spear end of the shaft onto the Grimm's head, augmenting the speed with a another shot from Crescent Rose, digging the blade through the scales and plates, nearly piercing the Grimm's head. Ripping the scythe out of it's head, Ruby flipped back off of of the King Taijitu, landing perfectly on the ground behind her.

"How's that?"

Her mocking was simply met with a loud sound from the Grimm, something that was a cross between a hiss and a roar. Apparently, Ruby had succeeded... in pissing it off even further. The white head of the Grimm now thrashing about, a large crack opened in the alabaster plate covering and protecting it's head, and the black head was looking at Ruby, waiting for her to give it the opportunity it needed to take revenge, and make her into a meal. Ruby cocked her sweetheart once more, and stared down the large, now probably very pissed off snake. This was going to be fun, and with a small grin, Ruby let herself once again enter that world of stilled light, and calmed winds, and made her move.

* * *

"A week. It has been a week." Pyrrha mumbled to herself, in the middle of Professor Port's lecture on the habits of the King Taijitu.

Suddenly, with very little warning or explanation, Jaune, her team's leader and her boyfriend, had suddenly left for a special mission alongside Yang. Her older sister. Ruby's older sister. Pyrrha could not help but wonder exactly what this mission was, that it would require the two of them going specifically to handle it. If anything, shouldn't _she_ have been the one to go with Jaune? She was his girlfriend after all, so why the hell did Yang go? If anything, these past two months have just been nothing but a living nightmare for her, and she could only recount when it all had started. Back when she had decided to get rid of Ruby. Back when _they_ had decided to get rid of Ruby. Out of jealousy, out of pride, out of fear.

Just thinking back on it a bit, Pyrrha remembered why she had gone along with it, and even why the others might have, or rather must have, agreed to it. They all must have felt the same, deep down anyhow. Ruby was younger than any of them, and by a solid two years. Two years early, she had already gotten approval and managed to enter Beacon Academy, one of the greatest schools for training Huntsmen and Huntresses across the face of Remnant. While she, and the rest, had to wait until their seventeenth birthdays, had to go through all manners of training and schooling, and all of those tests in order to be accepted into Beacon, Ruby had gotten in by simply impressing the headmaster. Something all of them felt they could have done were they in her position at the time. They couldn't stand it. They worked to get into Beacon, and she simply stole her way in.

Sure, for a while it was fine, but things didn't really pan out to be what they should have. Teachers gave extra care to Ruby, trying to help her keep up. Extra lessons and tutoring were provided to aid her, due to her being slightly behind the curve at first because of her younger age. On top of that, they viewed her as they would any sort of prodigy, with their attention being focused on her growth most of the time. They went easier on her, they went harder on her. When she succeeded, she was given praise. When anyone else succeeded, they were told "good job", and it was left at that. So what? She was younger than anyone else at Beacon, and by a bit too. Did that mean that they were supposed to be treated less than she was? The first semester had passed in this manner, and all things considered, it only felt worse and worse to them. With her combat scores included, Ruby was essentially put onto a pedestal that they believe she didn't deserve. It was just unfair.

And then the Children of Artemis came around. One of the largest events for Hunters in training, a large scale tournament that showcased your talents and abilities for all to see, a way for young Hunters to get their names out and make connections by showcasing the abilities they had so meticulously trained. It was thought to be almost impossible for Ruby to make it in, her youth and immaturity seeming to be major disadvantages for her. And yet somehow, she was put onto that same stage as she. And the others who were passed over for Ruby to have taken the spot? Those who have put countless hours into their training, working themselves to the breaking point time and time again, every minute, of every hour, of every day that they could. It just wasn't fair, it wasn't. So who was to say she even deserved it? All of that jealousy and hate building up, and yet to them it was nothing more than "justice". They removed the lier and the cheat from her undeserved position, and regained what they believed was lost honor from letting her have taken it in the first place.

At first Pyrrha regretted it, like some of the others. Well, regret is a rather loose term. They were a little bothered by what they had done, but less that they had done it to Ruby and more that they had done it to another human in general. It was a major skeleton to keep in their closets, one that if it was made known would ruin all of them for what they had done. But they had still chosen to do it, and to her knowledge not a single one of the had regretted it entirely.

Once the class was finished, Pyrrha took her things, and went back to the room for Team JNPR. Across the hall, in the room for the former Team RWBY, only Blake and Weiss were currently occupying that room. In her own, Nora hardly ever showed up, except to sleep, and Ren was usually accompanying her to keep her happy. She was still hurt over Ruby's death, and Pyrrha almost felt guilty for doing that to Nora. Nora was one of ones who genuinely liked Ruby, and the two had gotten along famously. Come to think of it, Ren had also liked Ruby, though kind of like a younger sister. Maybe it wwas because Ruby had often spent time over in their room, hanging out with Jaune while playing video games and just being the kids that they still were at heart. Now those times, Pyrrha did not miss. Jaune had a future ahead of him, and even if he did fake his way into Beacon he had tremendous potential. He had to grow up to achieve that, and that growth was not something that he would achieve with Ruby, who it seemed would never want to grow up. Pyrrha did not regret what she had done there, for she believed it would give Jaune much more room to grow up, become the kind of Hunter who could overshadow Ruby and allow everyone to forget about her with his own exploits. And it a very fucked up way, it seemed to be working too. Only, it was working not because she wasnt there, but because she used to be there. Even gone, she was still more to Jaune than Pyrrha was, and that just made it even worse.

Taking a moment to forget these negative thoughts, Pyrrha sat down on the couch that was in the room. It hadn't seen much use, due to Nora and Ren hardly ever being in, and Jaune having spent more time training and honing his skills rather than just staying in the room. If anything, Pyrrha seemed to be it's sole inhabitant. Turning towards the television set that was set up across from the sofa, Pyrrha pulled out her Scroll, and switching to the remote control application, turned it on and set the channel to the news. Getting up, she went to grab a drink from the fridge. It didn't matter what, she she just grabbed a bottle, and returned to the sofa to watch and see what was going on in the world, except that what the anchor woman was saying completely caught her attention.

"Several days ago, late into the night, there was a disturbance in Tinker, the city widely known for it's mechanics and smiths. On the night of XX, around midnight more specifically, a large corporate warehouse in the Machina district of Tinker was burned to the ground. Upon arriving at the scene, investigators determined that the fires were started by a large amount of Dust that was suddenly and violently ignited, leaving the warehouse in ruins."

Having gotten back into her seat by now, Pyrrha was interested in this. Robberies weren't entirely uncommon, but arson was altogether rare in this day and age. Getting herself into a somewhat reclining position, and just generally relaxing, she watched the news, eyes fixated on the screen, until something piqued her interest entirely.

"The fires were thought to have been set by the recently active criminal known as the Red Queen of Grimm. Age, name, and overall identity unknown, she is being regarded as a high-priority target by the Hunter's Association at the time. Her activities have been linked to several high profile as of late, including several dead Hunters appearing throughout the northwestern region. The Hunters were all found completely eviscerated, as though torn by a large, spiked weapon. While no official word can be given, it didn't appear as though they were killed by Grimm, but were instead killed by the Red Queen's signature weapon; her scythe."

"...what?"

"Eyewitness reports have all been the same, and each were confirmed by the findings of the Hunter's Association. The weapon currently being utilized by the rogue Grimm-using threat is apparently a large, crimson red scythe."

"N-no way..."

Switching the television to a different channel, Pyrrha tried to forget what she had just seen on the news, with very little success. That- that was just way too much. A vigilante with a red scythe, known as the Red Queen? When _her_ name was literally all about the color red. No. It couldn't be. There was no possible way that _she _could have... Was there? But Pyrrha wasn't one to rely on coincidence. Grabbing her Scroll, Pyrrha immediately hit the web, going to the HA's main site, searching for any information on the Red Queen that was available. And the more she read, the more her already pale complexion turned ghastly. Closing out the browser, she sifted through her contacts, and picked out ten specifically, messaging them all. Getting herself dressed in her usual attire, Pyrrha headed out, the message she had just typed out at a speed even she couldn't believe could still be felt on her fingertips.

* * *

'_Come to the Courtyard ASAP. She might still be alive._'

* * *

Simultaneously, across the entirety of Beacon's campus, ten Scrolls rang out with their message indication tones. All at once, almost as if coordinated and practiced, ten students looked at their scrolls, eyes widening in panic. And almost as though it were a perfectly choreographed action, they all left their rooms, heading out to face the Amazon, who may have brought to them news that would soon turn their worlds all completely and totally on their sides.

* * *

The headmaster of Beacon Academy, one of the most renowned Hunters alive and breathing, sat at his desk, reading through the files that had come up. Almost as though expecting something, he had set up a trace for Beacon's grounds through the WiFi network, to pin anyone who looked too much into anything related to the Red Queen. And almost immediately after, said student had sent such a cryptic, and urgent message.

"Hmm. Now just what would cause this kind of activity, I wonder?"

Behind his desk, coffee in hand, Ozpin stared at his computer screen. The gears in his head began to turn, and they were rolling towards the answers he sought, while also bringing up so many other questions.

"If this is what I believe it is, then I swear on my position that I _will_ remedy this..."

* * *

If one were to look upon the scene, they would likely be paralyzed with a sickened grin on their face. No, they wouldn't be happy, nor would they feel like laughing out of something such as humor. No, they would likely just be unable to believe what was going on. About as much as was possible, a great King Taijitu was bowing before the small, crimson garbed figure of Ruby Rose. Several areas of the great beasts body was covered in cracks, the scales having been unable to stand up to the immense speed and ferocity on her assault. In the span of a few seconds that she had left behind the time of a human, and entered into what could only be called Godspeed, Ruby had completely broken down and assaulted the large snake. At the cost of nearly all of her stamina, as well as majorly depleting what Aura of hers she had not used, Ruby had managed to cut a path of destruction through Checkmate with nigh impunity. Black ichor now seeping from various opening all of the body of both the black half and the white half, it could no longer even think of opposing Ruby. Behind her, the Grimm she led simply watched the scene, eyes betraying their lack of emotions. On it's side, Checkmate's children watched as their parent simply succumbed to the insane, illogical speed possessed by Ruby.

"This... this is where... you give up. Now just... obediently... serve me."

Ruby's sentences came out fragmented and broken, her heavy breathing obstructing her ability to speak normally. Even for one such as her, who's stamina had grown to inhuman levels to keep up with her Semblance's overuse of her muscles and respiratory system, the amount of energy expunged on maintaining her speed, as well as using the Aura that she had to to cleave through Checkmates scales, had worn her down considerably. That she could even do it could be said to be the result of having obtained a mastery over her Semblance, which granted speed at a level usually reserved for lightning and Gods, and Weiss' mood switches during her period. Catching her breath, just barely, and using her Aura to reduce her fatigue just enough, Ruby again made her demands, but louder and more clearly than previously.

"Listen here! I am the winner here, you got me? I could kill you, but no, I want to _use_ you, got that? Now, obediently serve me Checkmate!"

Faced with no other recourse, and despite's its complete lack of understanding of the human language, Checkmate completely understood it's position. Lifting itself up just slightly, it again lowered it's head, in a sign of loyalty to it's new master. Unsure of how else to react, the King Taijitu under Checkmate also showed such signs of bowing, apparently heading Ruby as their master as well. Sporting a wicked half childish, half sinister grin, Ruby looked at her new subordinates, and laughed inwardly to herself. It was slowly coming to fruition, he revenge would be ready soon. What began as small chuckling soon turned to outright laughter. And if one listened closely, they could hear the sounds of her heart being further shattered, each laugh chipping off yet another piece from her already broken and damaged soul. Down her face streamed tears. Whether they were a river of rage, or a stream of sadness, even she could not tell. Her maniacal laughter subsiding, she continued for another few minutes with muffled sobs, as bit by bit, the thoughts of her imminent revenge began to weigh more and more heavily on her tiny, fragile, teen aged shoulders. A weight that, it seemed, would crush her any time now.

* * *

Three separate voices, three separate hearts, and three separate meanings. Across the face of Vale, they resonate, giving heed to the calamity that will soon fall upon Beacon for the monstrosities that have been incubated in it's walls.

* * *

"""This is just great. It seems that things are going..."""

* * *

"...all kinds of wrong."

* * *

"...in a way I could never have predicted."

* * *

"...exactly as planned. Now, on to the next."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Howdy, Dravyn here. Good news, bad news, and very annoying news. As I warned in my last A/N, I will likely end up being gone for a month or so this time due to work. Sorry. Oh, but don't worry, that was the bad news. The good news is that a new chapter is out. The annoying news? Due to the most recent episode, I now have to expand the story to include those new Grimm, the Goliaths I believe? So yeah, I'm likely going to have to extend the story by an extra one or two chapters, more than I had initially planned. Oh well. More work for me, more chapters for you guys.**

**Anyhow, again, I'm sorry for the impromptu hiatus that will be imposed on me. Work, y'know? The good news is that due to where I'm going, I'll likely end up with a metric crapton of inspiration for when I return. So, yay I guess?**

**Anyhow, cutting this A/N short, you all know the usual by now. Lemme know what you liked, what you hated, and what you think I could improve on. Otherwise, have a good one. I look forward to seeing you all at the next chapter.**


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